Follow Your Heart
by julesrose20
Summary: Renesmee and Jacob are engaged to married, in three days. But while Jacob was away, she meets someone and falls in love. Now with Jacob back, she has to break to everyone that she is love with someone else.
1. Where I Ended Up

***Okay...... so I'm a terrible writer... I just realized I am writing the next few chapters from how I did this one. So I rewrote it so it fits with the following chapters. GAH! I feel so bad for this, I am sooooo sorry! BTW new chapter is in the works. I know the last two were pretty short so I will try and make the next one a little longer to make up :) Well.... it is a big chapter, lots of stuff happening haha but again, sorry for the fail on my part. Its only a few changes but I still feel like an idiot***

**Where I Ended Up**

I pressed my head against the cool leather of my driver's seat listening to the waves crash against the rocks, for a moment masking the sounds of my heaving chest. The last rays of sun shone through the window, and through the diamond of my engagement ring. Today was the day, I knew it was. I rose my hand and with my fingertips brushed away the streaming tears from under my eyes. I had to do it today, I was tired of hiding, lying and leading him on to believe that I intended to marry him.

"You can do this.... he will understand, I think." I laughed at my inability to even convince myself. Deep down I believed it but for now, I knew it was a lie and a bad one at that.

Three weeks ago my life was simple, easy and now here I sat, ready to change my entire life and that of all who surrounded me. All because I fell in love.

Sure they say falling in love can be the most amazing experience in your entire life; I wish that was the same for me. It sure was for my parents although their romance was not what you call the most conventional love. When it started my mom was a klutzy, unsocial human and my dad well.... he was and still is a vampire. The stories I have heard about their whirlwind romance. Made what I was about to do a little better, I was releasing Jacob from a lie, one that I believe will heal rather than hurt.

As I thought of my parents I smiled. They were my rock, the ones who guided me through my last three weeks of heartbreak and realization. If they had not been around I would have never been able to see the signs that lead me to him, and happiness.

The family was still in a daze that I had been able to break an ancient magic. The imprint from a werewolf well, shape shifter was believed to last for eternity. That was until I came around, I had a knack for breaking the rules. The Cullens were famous for that and as I thought about it, I knew I was making the right choice, but why did it still hurt so much?

Once the sun set I knew it was time to do what I had been dreading since Jacob came home. I glanced at my engagement ring and sighed as I turned the ignition and started my car. "This is it.. there is no turning back. You can do this."

Another unbelievable lie but I had no choice, Derek was waiting for me and I knew I could never hurt him. I loved him with all of my heart, as I had loved Jake but that faded away the moment I saw Derek, my true love. My eyes fell onto the glove box, inside sat a black velvet jewelry box and had sat since Derek had placed it three days ago.

I slowly drove away from the cliffs and back down towards La Push and the beginning of a long night. Part of me just wanted to drive back up to the house and wait for another day, give Jacob a chance to relax from his trip. Even though it wasn't hard to guess that he would be at Billy's place a whole five seconds before racing back up to the house to see me.

The familiar red house came into view and my heart began to race, the lights were on and I saw Jacob's motorcycle parked near the door. He had probably just got home and was doing a fast unpack before leaving again.

I shut off my car and stepped out into the chilly September air, I threw on my jacket and headed towards the door. With each step my breathing grew more and more rapid. As the door came closer and closer, I tried to push what I do, out of my head. I started thinking about how my birthday was coming up, in two days. In reality I was only eight years old but due to my lineage I aged so much faster, and passed for a woman in my early twenties and would stay like this for the rest of my life, the pros of being part human, part vampire.

"Nessie." His eyes lit up the moment I stepped through the door. The same look I got ever time I was around him. Ever since the day I was born, the day he imprinted on me and the day everyone thought I had met the man I was destined to be with forever. How wrong they had ended up to be.

My stomach twisted as Jacob came and pressed his lips against mine. I laid my hand against his chest and could feel his heart racing. I remained still until he slowly pulled away looking very confused. I tried to remain as composed as I could, I just wanted to get this over with. Jacob did not deserve to be lead on anymore and I could not pretend anymore. Our love was over.

Thankfully Billy was not home he was either just finishing a day of fishing with my grandfather, Charlie or still with Charlie watching baseball at his place. Being completely alone with Jake made this just a little easier.

Jacob's confusion slowly turned into a face of worry as he placed his arm around my waist. "Is everything alright honey? You look a little upset, and have you been crying? Did Edward start on you again about the wedding being so soon?" I could feel his arm beginning to shake at the thought of my father and his protests about us getting married so quick.

"No.. Dad didn't do anything its something else." I lightly bit my lip as we took a sit on the couch, and as we sat down I slid out of Jacob's grasp and turned so I was sitting on an angle, looking right at him. I took another deep breath attempting to calm myself down as my chocolate brown eyes settled on the face of my soon-to-be former fiancé. "Jacob.... we need to talk."


	2. Three Weeks Ago

**Three Weeks Ago**

"I'm going to miss you Nessie, I promise I will call whenever I can. I love you so much, I cannot wait to make you my wife." Jacob shot a look over my shoulder as a low growl escaped my Dad's throat, which was shortly silenced by a glare from my mother. I just rolled my eyes and sighed as I turned to look at my parents.

Our little group was receiving a lot of attention from everyone else in the airport but who could not help but to look. For one, there was a giant native, who could looked like he was in his late twenties-early thirties holding hands with a petite girl who appeared to just be hitting twenty. Standing closely behind was a couple looking barely out of their late teens, and straight off the cover of a fashion magazine. Who wouldn't stare?

I was used to the stares, the jaw drops, it was what I grew up with. The life of being a Cullen revolved around being stared at or even whispered about. No matter where we went, any one walking passed would stop and stare at the procession, in awe of how beautiful yet strange we were. Not knowing that they were sharing the streets with a family of vampire, or half-vampire in my case.

My eyes wandered from my mother, Bella, to my father, Edward. The real life version of Romeo and Juliet as my family loved to call them. A couple whose love I still could never understand but admired to watch. They had been through so many hardships throughout their interesting romance, it still puzzled me as to how they managed to stay together, love does strange things.

I slowly turned from the disapproving stare from my father and apologetic mother to look at my fiancé who quickly wiped away a lone tear. He was leaving to visit his sister Rebecca in Hawaii for a few weeks. They were not that close but he figured since we were preparing to wed it would be a good idea to see how it could be like. I would have gone with him but with the wedding so close I needed to stay to finish the planning.

"I'll miss you too Jake. Say hello to Rebecca and the kids for me. I love you." Another growl from my father but I did my best to pretend it never happened. He would eventually get over the fact that his only daughter was grown up and preparing to marry the love of her life.

An announcement echoed through the airport saying how the flight to Hawaii was now boarding and I bit my lip to fight back tears. This would be the longest Jake and I had been apart. It was hard on the both of us but I knew we could handle it. Three weeks and three days, we would finally become Mr. and Mrs. Jacob and Renesmee Cullen-Black. My parents still thought I was rushing into it all but I knew what I was doing, I was marrying the man I loved with all of my heart.

Jake gave me a half smile as he pulled me close and pressed his lips against mine, I softly rubbed his cheek and sighed as we pulled apart. I mouthed 'I love you' and Jake returned it before nodding his goodbyes to my parents and grabbed his carry-on bag. "Call me when you land in Hawaii."

Faster than I would have liked Jake was gone, the moment he stepped through the doors my mother pulled me into a hug and stroked my hair. Dad simply just rubbed my back softly shushing my tears as they stained Mom's shirt. Even with my faced buried away I could sense that Dad was smiling to himself, happy to be rid of the pest that was Jacob Black.

Once my tears faded away we all headed down to the parking lot where Dad's Volvo was parked in the darkest corner we could find. The downside of having vampire for parents, no venturing out in the sunlight. Imagine seeing two people with skin that looked like a million tiny diamonds were embedded in their skin. I quietly cursed Jake for picking a flight that left at noon, he always found a way to make my family's life slightly difficult, as if it wasn't already.

As we reached the car Dad slid on his sunglasses and threw his black sweater's hood over his tousled bronze hair and Mom threw on her matching glasses and an over sized white straw hat. Being half-vampire I was lucky, my skin didn't sparkle just softly glowed, so I could get away with t-shirts and other skin exposing clothing.

I leaned back against the seat and shut my eyes. Praying that he had a safe flight, that we had a safe ride home and mostly that my parents would not start up anything once we got home. The last part, I knew would happen anyway.


	3. Battles of Past and Present

**Battles of Past and Present**

"Renesmee you are too young to be rushing into marriage... please just wait a couple more years. Take some time to travel, or just think about it." Dad was pacing back and forth the floor of Carlisle's office. I was leaning against the desk with my arms pressed firmly against my chest as I watched him pace doing his best to handle his temper. "I know you think you're ready but marriage is a big step and as your father I want you to be sure this is what you want."

I glared at him in disbelief. This was not fair, I had just said goodbye to Jake not two hours ago and now he was starting up his 'wait for a while' argument. "Dad please.... I know what I'm doing, trust me. You shouldn't be talking about rushing into marriage anyway. Mom was only eighteen when you guys got married, why is it so different for me and Jake?"

He stopped and looked me straight in the eyes, now I had done it. I knew I was right, there was no difference between he and Mom, and me and Jake, none. Deep down he would agree but as my father he had to be protective, looking out for what was best for me. I loved him for that but, I was a grown up.... sort of, I could handle myself.

For a moment it looked like he was going to speak but as his lips parted he turned and looked at the door and a crooked smile drew across his face. "You can come in love, no need to eavesdrop." In an instant Mom was by his side with her arm around his waist, and he the same with her. Even though they had been married for eight years, they still acted like it was day one. It was never pleasant seeing your own parents making out or walking into the cottage and seeing them just throwing something on... eww.

"Edward you need to relax, she has a ..." the moment their eyes met she cut her sentence short, damn his ability to dazzle her.

I turned my face away to give them a moment of privacy and calm my sudden bout of nausea. My eyes wandered along the wall, away from my parents, and focused on an all too familiar painting. Of Carlisle and his time with the Volturi. I shuddered just remembering the standoff years ago, all over me. Even though I was only a 'few months' old I remembered everything. How I almost lost my parents, my family, and my Jacob.

I shuddered again to push away the memory, and suddenly felt my father's arm around my shoulder with Mom following only a second later. Sometimes having a mind reader for a father paid off but, when you're thinking of personal things, like my honeymoon night..

"Renesmee."

"Sorry Dad... but why do we constantly have this conversation I am marrying Jacob when he comes back. You know as well as I do the Volturi could come back to check on me and the whole family, I want to experience as much as possible. Just in case they decided to..."

Mom softly stroked my cheek and I could hear her breath catch in her throat. She worried just as much as I did about how the Volturi never forgot a loss on their side. We had been left alone since that standoff years ago but even with Alice keeping on eye on them, we never could completely relax.

I pushed myself off of the desk and headed for the door. I needed some time on my own, away from my father's prying mind. In this moment of my life I wished I had the same thick skull like Mom did, only allowing Dad to hear her when she wanted. Oh how wild my honeymoon fantasies could become. Dad hissed and I sped out of the room and down the garage.

I leaned against my car for a moment and stared out into the forest that surrounded my home. The main bulk of my family had moved to New Hampshire after the Volturi issue. My parents and I remained here because Mom did not feel ready to leave Grandpa just yet. He had a small idea about who we really were and lived with it.

Another reason, Jacob and I did not want to separated.

After a moment to settle myself I climbed into my car and pulled out of the garage. Normally if I was stressed I would head down to La Push but since Jacob was gone, I would just drive down to see Grandpa someone who was level headed when it came this.


	4. And Now It Begins

**And now it begins**

So seeing Grandpa was out.

As I had pulled up to his house I saw that his cruiser was gone. Fishing. Typical of him so I just sighed and turned around. I was not ready to go home because I knew Dad was still on the 'do not get married' topic. There was no where I could go to relax my mind. Since I was a Cullen, I really did not have any friends, besides the people at La Push. Without Jacob there I really did not want to be there.

I could have driven to New Hampshire to see Alice but I was not in the mood for a long drive plus they would be here a few weeks for the wedding anyway. With a sign I turned onto the highway, why not do a little shopping. I needed to find something special for the wedding night. I had promised myself that I would make it the best night ever.

* * *

Hours later I was loading my large collection of bags into the trunk of my car. Mom loved to tease me that I had inherited Alice's shopping nature, not that I complained, I loved to shop it was a great stress reliever.

Sadly I had found nothing for the wedding night. I could not even walk into the lingerie store. The main reason was that I had received a very angry phone call from Dad. Alice had ratted me out. It was a super pain having an aunt who could 'see' the future. I was a little blurry for her but, she could still get the gist of what I was doing.

To appease both of them I just bought normal items, mainly gifts to settle Dad's temper, I always knew how to calm him down. Plus by the time I got home from Seattle he would probably be calm, thanks to Mom.

"Excuse me miss, you forgot this."

I turned and almost dropped my purse at the sight that stood in front of me. The boy stood to be at least six foot seven, not as tall as Jacob but pretty close. He had jet black hair with shocking green his. His facial features were built similar to Dad's but more beautiful. For a young man he was very well built, again not as bulk as my Jacob but he was running a close second. In his soft peach hand was one of my bags.

Every time I tried to speak nothing came out. No man had every done this to me, other then Jacob and maybe Dad when he blew my possible argument right out of the water. Finally I found my voice. "Th..thank you. I did not notice I was missing it."

He placed the bag into my trunk with a dazzling smile after noticing my large collection of bags. "No problem, I can guess it might be hard to misplace one bag, with all of this. By the way, my name is Derek." We shut my trunk and I leaned against it for support.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Renesmee. Its like Renee and Esme put together, I'm named after my grandmothers." I bit my lip to silence myself. I always to explain my name since it was so unique. Only my parents called me by my full name to everyone else, I was Nessie.

Derek nodded with a smirk strangely similar to Dad's crooked smile that drew Mom to an instant stop now I could see what she meant. I was dazzled. We just looked at each other for a while, just smiling, well I was blushing on top of that. Alice was certainly going to have a laugh the next time I talked to her. She probably already was because I could guess that Dad had her watching me extra close now.

I slowly shook my head to clear my thoughts. Talk about a nice first impression.

"Renesmee, I like it. The nickname is funny guess you must be teased about the Lock Ness monster." Derek laughed at the last part which made my blush more prominent. "Oh sorry... I didn't mean to tease."

I waved it off with a smile it was something I was used to. The jokes were old and did not bother me anymore. I learned to just to ignore. "Umm anyway..." I hated silence. "Thank you again for bringing my bag. I think my addiction is getting a little out of control."

Derek flashed his heart stopping smirk.... So, where was I again? Oh right! Come on Ness get a hold of yourself! I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear as I fished out my keys and made my way to the driver's side. Of course his hand was around my wrist before I could even take two steps. "Excuse me? What do you think you are doing?"

The hand dropped and he lowered his head. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to say goodbye. You seem like an amazing girl and I was wondering if I could take you to dinner. I swear I've never done this. You just caught my eye when you walked in." He raised his eyes to mine and I could see a glimmer of hope behind them. Damn.

"I'd love to." Wait... Did I just say that? I'm engaged! To the most wonderful man in the world and now I'm going to dinner with this stranger. "What I mean is I'd love to but... I'm engaged and..."

"Oh...I see. I didn't notice the ring." Hard not to do when it was the size of a normal person's thumb nail. I still wondered how Jake managed to get the money to buy it. Some how I had a feeling Mom or Esme was behind that. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind you just having dinner with a friend. I really just want to get to know you, thats all. I won't push you into anything you don't like."

Damnit! Why does he have to be so wonderful. I sighed to myself before slowly nodding and flashing a smile. One little dinner would not hurt and I was pretty hungry. The bonus of being part human was that I could stomach the food they ate. Even though I preferred animal blood over anything that a human cooked. Nasty stuff.

Derek's eyes flashed open with a smile and he rushed through telling me where to meet him once he got off work. He rushed back into the mall after thanking me over and over for agreeing. I climbed into my car and sighed again. What had I gotten myself into?


	5. The Start of Something New

***Sorry this has taken so long to update. Feel free to shoot me. I have though, written three new chapters, so I hope this makes it all up. All three are coming up to keep you satisfied until I can write more. Shout out to xXNightmareGirlXx who got me back on track :)***

**The Start of Something New**

I'm just missing Jacob thats why I'm doing this, I need some male company... right that works. No it doesn't it! Why did I say yes? Oh right I'm an idiot! I pressed my head against the seat and tried to calm myself. I was sitting in the parking lot of the restaurant that Derek had suggested. I could see him sitting in window booth, ten minutes early... Of course I had been sitting here for almost two hours debating on whether to cancel or not. A smile crept across my lips as I watched Derek eagerly look up as the door swung open, I must have made an impression.

The sound of my phone ringing shook me out of my daze and the phone was to my ear in record time, the call I had been waiting for.

"Jake"

"Hey Nessie, sorry I didn't call right away. Rebecca and I have been doing some much needed catching up and you know, I've had to do the uncle thing. They are really amazing kids, I can't wait to have our own... you know if we can."

I just sighed, that subject was touchy, we did not know if we could have kids. Carlisle had done some tests, it was a possibility but he was just as unsure as we were. Jake had always said if we can't do it on our own, we'll adopt... just not like how Carlisle and Esme had.

"We'll figure it out Jake. I'm glad you're having fun, I miss you so much. Dad started on me the moment we got back home. Don't start you know how he is, I'll soften him up by the time you get back."

Jake growled and I could hear the tremors in his arm as he tried to calm himself down. Our marriage would never settle with Dad but, we would just have to live with it. Someday Dad might accept it, the pro of having the ability to possibly live forever, we had some time.

"Jake... I have to go, have some plans with Mom, I'll call you later."

I closed my phone and sighed, I hated lying to him but I couldn't just say I was having dinner with a guy I met at the mall. Not like anything was going to happen with Derek and I, still did not want to upset Jake. I glanced at my watch and sighed, too late to cancel but it would be nice to have one friend, someone who did not know the stories or rumors about my family. After a quick check in my rear view, I stepped out of my car and headed into the restaurant.

"Hey! It's great to see you again, kind of thought you were not going to come or something. I'm glad you did."

Derek's eyes were shining and I could hear how his heart sped up as I walked up to the table. I was not liking how this was starting out. I smiled and slid into the seat across from him, what shocked me the most was how I was happy to see him as well. This was going to be a very interesting evening and I knew the parents would have a decent play-by-play before I even got into my car.

Before I knew it, the place was closing and the two of us were walking towards my car. Time had just flown by and I had to admit, I wished we still had some more time. Derek was amazing! He had the qualities any woman could love. Funny, amazingly handsome, came from a good family, well educated and did I mention handsome? I could hardly take my eyes off of him and he the same with me. Oh if only he did not have to work in the morning, plus my eyes were starting to grow heavy.

"I had so much fun tonight, we should do it again. I get off early tomorrow, maybe we could hit the beach or something."

Yes! I'd love to! Take me anywhere! Wait... did I just...no...I'm engaged... What is going on with me? Get a grip woman! You are marrying Jacob soon... Yes Jake, my husband-to-be. The man I care so much about, wait... I mean love! I love him, I'm going to marry him.

"Sure, call me when you get off."


	6. Back to NormalSorta

**Back to Normal...Sorta**

The entire drive home was spent beating myself up about how the dinner with Derek went, I could not believe that I had become attracted to another man. I was set to marry Jake soon and I had flirted and lead on another man. I felt disgusting, like a betrayer. Wondering what Jake would say if he found out; probably call off the wedding, and just disappear. Like he had done when he found out that my parents were engaged.

"He won't find out, because this will never happen again. When Derek calls I'll just make up something, then change my number, make sure I avoid that mall for a while. Sounds like a plan."

Funny thing was I did not want to stop seeing Derek, he was a really great guy. Someone I enjoyed being around. Only thing that was bothering me, how could I be attracted to him, when someone gets imprinted on, they just don't see anyone of the opposite gender in a romantic way anymore. So I was told yet, my family had a way of doing things that were not supposed to happen. Thats how I got here.

I slowly pulled into the garage and shut off my car. After most of the family moved away, we decided to move into the big house. The cottage was mainly now used as a chance to enjoy some piece and quiet, or in my parent's case, a love-making shack. We also preferred the big house because there were some people who enjoyed throwing things at it, so as long as we lived there, it was safe. Stupid people.

The final notes of the lullaby Dad had written for Mom when they met flowed into the garage and he moved onto one of my favorite of his compositions, a little welcome home slash I'm sorry. I smiled and grabbed all my bags and headed inside fully knowing, I was most likely going to be interrogated about what I had been up to.

"Hey sweetie, I can see you had some fun shopping today. Took a little longer then usual though, anything happen?"

Mom hadn't even looked up from her book, Wuthering Heights, favorite book. Dad never got her obsession with the book and teased her constantly about it. I kept it quiet that I loved the book too.

"Oh just headed down to the beach. You know, to sorta feel close to Jake, I know he hasn't been gone that long but still, feels weird without him here. Hey Daddy."

I heard him chuckle as I turned with a smile, I was immune to his trick now, sneaking up to spin me around like he has when I was little. He caught me a few times when I was distracted by Jake but, my senses were sharp tonight. Dad patted my shoulder and his eyes fell to the bags by my feet.

"Thank you for the gifts, not needed though. Not going to change my view on your wedding, or the attempt at buy some special clothes. Though I have been eyeing that watch for a while."

I just rolled my eyes and looked over at Mom who was just smiling. "You always take the fun out of everything Dad. I'm sorry though."

"Renesmee, I know you're looking forward to the wedding night but, I think you should just let it happen without any special items. Just let it happen on its own."

A growl escaped from Dad and Mom just sighed as she placed her book down. For a moment they just stared at each other, having another one of their silent conversations. I had a feeling Mom was defending me by the look on her face. I took the chance to take my bags upstairs to my room, I could check my computer to see if Jake, or Alice had e-mailed me. I was right about one person.

Nessie,

Details!!!! How was dinner with Derek? He sure is a looker! I said nothing to your parents so relax, this can be our little secret. Unless you don't tell me anything, then I have to tell your parents. Love the clothes you bought. Sorry about ratting you to Edward, I agree with him though, too young to be buying that. Besides, you'll take the fun out of me packing your honeymoon stuff.

Love Alice

PS. We decided to come back early. Esme wants to go over decorating the house for the wedding, she some awesome ideas! Plus Emmett wants a rematch on that arm wrestling match of yours. The family says hello as well. I better get a reply when you get home, or else!

I smiled and started to hammer out a reply to Alice. There was not much to tell her, it was honestly just a dinner between new friends. At least that is how I wanted it to be from now on. I figured the feelings I experienced were just a one time thing, from missing Jake and everything... I think.


	7. Spilling the Beans

**Spilling the Beans**

After replying to Alice I put away all my new purchases and settled into bed for some reading before bed, a good nights sleep was what I needed. To clear my head over this whole Derek issue. Tomorrow I would set it all straight and quickly remove Derek from my life. A knock on the door, and before I could even open my mouth, Mom was inside and looking at me.

"Sweetie, is something bothering you? I've never seen you run up here so fast, you're normally relaxed when you come back from the beach. You can't be missing Jacob that bad."

Damn a mother's intuition. I sighed and sat up, leaning my back against the cool glass wall, obviously I had chosen Dad's old room. Perfect view and apparently unknown to my parents, easy to sneak out of. Correction, now it was known since I heard Dad muttering something, I would be in trouble later. My eyes focused back on Mom who now looked worried I had to tell her.

"Mom.... I need to tell you something but I don't want Dad to know, could you, you know... shield this conversation? I'm not pregnant and no I have no done anything like that with Jacob so relax. I just need to get this off my chest and I don't need Dad on me about it yet."

"Alright... you get more and more like your father every day."

We both shared a laugh before Mom closed her eyes for a moment to get herself into focus. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration but soon I felt safer, protected and was soon met with Mom's warm smile. Amazingly the smile remained as I spilled about Derek, the feelings, the confusion, everything that had happened on this very interesting day. As I finished I looked down at my hands while I let Mom process and hopefully come up with something helpful to say. I was so glad I had her shield it, because I really could not handle Dad right now.

"I take back what I said about you becoming like your father. You are following in my footsteps in almost every way. I wish you would not have.. not that I'm saying you love Derek but that is how Jacob and I got to where we were. Started off friends and when your father... left I leaned on him and it ended up a big mess. I see you leaning on Derek to get over Jacob going away. It is up to you sweetie. I know you really love Jacob but, maybe Derek is the one you are destined to be with."

Not exactly what I wanted to hear but at least I have an honest mother. She softly rubbed my hands and leaned forward to kiss my head. I placed my hand on top of hers allowing visions of Jacob and I on our wedding day, me crying all alone, Derek and I kissing and finally Jacob with tears, alone. My vampire gift. We joked it was reversed of Dad's ability, I could show what I was thinking, my way of silently communicating.

"I don't want to end up alone Mom. I don't want to hurt Jake, Derek or eve myself. I just cannot understand how I feel this way. I mean aren't people who get imprinted supposed to never see anyone else that way? That is what I thought is supposed to happen."

For the first time I saw Mom in a different light. The way she looked she was not Mom, she was just Bella. An ageless teenager who suffered the heartbreak I was fighting to avoid.

"Renesmee, you have broken all the rules since the day I got pregnant with you. Just remember you can do anything you want. No matter what happens your father, the family and I will always stand by you. You're also a Cullen, and we can get away with anything.

We smiled and after a kiss on the head goodnight, Mom disappeared. I heard the front door close and my parents ran off to continue with their perfect, endless love.


	8. Dreams Say It All

**Dreams Say It All**

I shot up with my breath racing. The sun was just beginning to rise so I knew my parents would be coming back to house very soon. Perfect timing to wake up from a nightmare like mine. Hopefully Mom would be able to help me figure it out. All I remembered was it was my wedding day. Jake and I were facing each other, being pronounced husband and wife. It felt too real, we were leaning close to seal it with a kiss. Jake vanished leaving me confused, Derek appeared where Jake had been, waiting for that kiss. Several times it switched from Jake and Derek, both waiting for the kiss. Then suddenly I was alone in the forest, a bride lost within the trees. In the distance I could hear a voice softly calling my name, it was impossible to hear who it was.

I tried to follow the voice and soon found myself in a clearing. Mountains stood tall and wise behind it, and not far from where I stood, a tent sat still. I could hear voices, two men and a woman it sounded like. Suddenly the door unzipped and out came, Jake. He looked younger, shorter than how I knew him. His hair was short yet shaggy and he looked upset, he shifted to his wolf form and began to patrol, closely circling the tent, as if he was listening. He soon froze and howled, it pained me to hear it. With that, he took off and I soon figured out why. Mom soon followed with Dad right behind. Time sped up and soon I saw Mom and Jake talking, kissing, crying. Before my eyes it switched to something more real, it became Derek and I kissing and crying, with Jake watching from a distance, with the most pained look I had ever seen. This is where I had woken up.

This is where I got the 'aha' moment. Mom was right, I was becoming more like her everyday. I had freshly created my own personal love triangle. The difference with mine and Mom's, I was not in love with both, not yet. Derek was just a crush, someone to keep my mind occupied until Jake came back then he would be gone, and I would become Mrs. Renesmee Carlie Cullen-Black.

I hoped that Mom had kept her word and not said a word to Dad. He probably would be overjoyed that there was a way to get Jake out of my life. Everyone said the feud between Dad and Jake over Mom, would never really end, even though Dad had won. Then it hit me. I was Jacob's second choice. Mom would always hold a special place in his heart and yes he did imprint on me but I know realized, it was a second choice. He could not have his Bella so he took the second best thing, her daughter. Maybe I did belong with Derek.

The sound of footsteps in the hall startled me. It caught me off guard because I normally always heard my parents coming in. By the sound I knew it was Mom and I was so glad it was. My latest revelation had shaken me and I could use her guidance. I prepared a more relaxed facial expression, which did not last very long once my door opens.

"Nessie!"

"Alice!" I sprang out of bed and knocked Alice to the floor. So I was wrong but I did not care Alice was not kidding about them coming early. I was so happy that I would see the rest of my family. They would help keep my mind off Derek, maybe even help me forget him.


	9. Second Best, First Real Decision

**Second Best, First Real Decision**

My parents arrived several minutes later to a buzzing house. Dad, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle decided to go hunting, since the females decided to dive right into wedding details plus my uncles and grandfather were not in the mood for one of Dad's fits. The moment they were out of the house, pictures, magazines, fabrics and who knows what else my aunts and grandmother had purchased.

"Oh Ness this style would look amazing on you. Or maybe this one.... uh Ness? Are you in there?" Hands flashed in front of my face, but I was running my latest discovery over and over, through my head. Maybe that's all I was, Jacob's second choice. His mind knew he would never get Mom, so the next best thing, her daughter was a perfect choice.

Mom's cool hand pressed against my face and I turned to meet her concerned expression. I placed on hand on top of hers and instantly I felt the energy of her shield. The concern disappeared and was replaced with a mix of worry and sadness. The same sadness I felt, she knew how I felt and knew the same pain that I was destined to endure. Three confused pair of topaz eyes stared in our direction as I continued spilling my mind. I pulled my hand away and fought back the tears.

"Lets drop the wedding talk for a couple hours. Ness is still dealing with missing Jacob, we'll come back soon. Alice, kitchen." Mom and Alice swiftly disappeared into the kitchen and before the swarm of questions flew from Rose and Grandma, I made my leave onto the front porch.

Hushed whispers from the kitchen and dining room echoed from the door as I leaned against the railing and shut my eyes. Why had I not realized this sooner? Suddenly the ring weighed ten times more. I slid it into my back pocket, and soon I was not alone.

"Darling this is only cold feet. The wedding is so close, you are probably just getting a little nervous. I was that way when I married Emmett. Trust me, it will pass." Her hand stroked my hair, beaming in her moment of good deed. How wrong she was, I was not nervous, this was what I had wanted from the moment I realized what love was.

I turned to face Rose and my expression said it all. "It is not cold feet. I am his second choice, Jacob could not get Mom so her daughter was the next best thing. I should just call everything off. Why should I be someone's second choice? That is not what love is about. I'm sorry Rose this not how I want to be known as."

"You are not his second choice. No mongrel imprints on a second choice, you are who he wants, what he had with Bella, was just puppy love. You are the real deal."

"The real deal? I'm not some high priced item on sale."

Her pursed lips showed that I had struck a nerve. I would apologize later right now I was right, and sticking to my beliefs. Jacob Black's dirty little secret was known. I would never be just a second option, a last resort. I knew what I wanted and as a Cullen, I always got what I wanted. Love, the real love. The kind that makes you lie awake at night. Love that when found made everything make sense, I wanted the fairytale, a love like Mom and Dad. Nothing would stand in my way now.


	10. Opening Up

***Okay here is the new chapter :) Hope you like this one, its all Derek/Renesmee which is what I guys know you have been dying to see more of. More is on the way.***

**Opening Up**

With my newest revelations my life had been turned upside down, the love I felt for Jacob had slipped away and dissolved into thin air. The ring, well, for the public had sadly been placed back onto my finger. It was agreed that Jacob should hear from me and not through the minds of his pack or Sam. My parents and entire family believed it was best for me to also stay away from La Push, for said reasons. I was not complaining, I could face any of my friends while going through the transformation of my heart. Without La Push what was there for me to do? The answer came so fast I was almost amazed, spend time with Derek.

"Where are you off to? I assume the location has nothing to do with a pack of shape shifters." I rolled my eyes at Dad as he slipped into the garage. He along with the other males knew nothing of Derek, our story was I had, had an argument with Jacob over him leaving so soon before the wedding. I would spring Derek on Dad once I was positive he was who I wanted. "I would prefer you stayed here at the house. Jacob might call to apologize."

I shook my head and slid into my car. "You know how his temper is, I need some time to relax and think myself. I'm just going to Seattle again." Dad just chuckled and asked that I be home at a reasonable hour as the girls wanted to have a special hunt. Code for, tell us how the day went with Derek and if anything had changed.

As I drove through the winding driveway of the big house my phone began to ring, my eyes flickered to the screen and I sighed with relief to see Derek's name. The phone was to my ear and I smiled just to hear the sound of his quickened breathing.

"Hey Derek"

"Oh you're awake! I wasn't sure if you would be just yet, listen I called in sick so, you still in for the beach day, or do you have other plans?" Since the only real beach was somewhere I was not permitted to be around, we planned to spend the day hiking. Following in the history of my parents, I decided on the meadow where my parents had spent during their short courtship. It was perfect, far from the city, and thankfully still unpatrolled by the packs.

An hour later and much to Derek's surprise we had parked and were carefully picking our way through the forest. Throughout the hike I laughed to myself at how Dad must have felt as he brought Mom to his meadow. Naturally this version of the first meadow trip was different, Derek did not know my lineage therefore I had to take after my mother's human past and stumble or trip every ten feet or so. After all, no reclusive rich girl would know how to properly hike.

"This place is amazing! I had no idea that such a place existed around here." Derek's eyes were wide with excitement as he scanned the meadow. It was truly a magical place, I loved coming here either on my own, with family or at times, Jacob. I shook away the thought of Jacob and took a seat next to Derek who had leaned against one of the trees near the entrance. "It is almost too beautiful to really enter, I'm glad you showed me this place."

We talked for what seemed like hours. I learned that he lived with his mother and step father in Seattle, his father had died several years earlier from cancer. He had no siblings and was looking into Dartmouth next year.

"What about you? You have not mentioned anything about parents or a family." Oh right, what story should I tell him? The cover story in Forks was my father was my uncle, taking me after their death. Most the ones who were told that story had left Forks for many reasons, I should have talked this over with my parents. I had no choice but to make up my own and hope it passed once I arrived home.

"Well, I live with my parents in Forks, my father is a doctor, and my mother is a homemaker. With a past time of restoring homes. I have a brother, Edward and two sisters, Bella and Alice. I'm also very close with several of my cousins Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. Most of them actually live in New Hampshire and attend Dartmouth. They are actually in town for my upcoming....wedding." I turned to stare at the blades of grass blowing near my feet at the thought of the now, non-existent wedding.

Derek's soft, warm fingers brushed across my cheek and I turned to be met by his almost emerald colored eyes. His smile was soft and kind, as if he could feel the pain emanating from my very core. I softly spun the diamond ring that sat on my finger and sighed. "I actually don't know if there should be a wedding."

My eyes almost flew open as I listened to myself say those words; almost stunned that he affected me like this. Derek looked down for a moment and I swear I heard him utter a soft 'yes'. He soon returned his gaze to my face. "I am sorry to hear that. You seemed so excited about it yesterday, did you two have a fight or something?"

I wish there was a fight, a fight would had made it a lot easier than deceiving the man I was intended to marry. "No we didn't fight, I just woke up this morning and something felt different. I could not find the same love I felt for him."

"Then why are you still wearing the ring? If you don't love him anymore why wear a sign that you are to be his wife?" This boy was no fool yet, he had no idea what could happen if someone from La Push were to see me minus the ring. I needed time to figure out if I was suffering cold feet, or if I truly had fallen out of love with Jacob Black.


	11. Realization

**Realization**

"You ask some pretty sharp questions, have you considered law school? See, Jacob is actually in Hawaii visiting his sister so I would rather he not hear from friends that I've been spotted minus a ring, I need the time to think, see if I really want to call it off." I was stunned when Derek stood up and slowly walked further into the meadow.

My eyes followed him as he paced around softly muttering something about me being a foolish girl, crazy to rush into marriage, that I should just dump him. I chuckled to myself and pushed myself off the ground to where he was pacing. I jumped when he spun to face me with a serious expression. "Renesmee, you should just forget about him. You're young, beautiful and so intelligent, you can find someone else. One who could make you fell like you've never felt before. Someone, like me."

This boy knew how to catch me off guard, I had no idea he felt nearly the same way as I believed I did, maybe this is who I am supposed to be with. I failed to find the ability to speak, how could anyone when you had been surprised with a remark like that. Derek studied my every move, trying to understand what could be running through my mind. My mind ran through many comments yet nothing made sense.

"Derek.. we just met." Short and stupid, point out the obvious how pathetic. He turned away and I could hear him agree but through his movements I could sense he was hurt. "What I meant to say is maybe we need a little time." It was the truth I was still unsure if what I felt was real and I doubt he knew either. This was nothing like Mom and Dad, they knew almost instantly. Mom never engaged to someone else, their love was pure, the relationship had its share of flaws but it was a pure love, ever lasting.

Suddenly I was pulled against his chest as he wound his arms around my waist holding me tight, I pushed back slightly. I knew he was excited but this was a little sudden. After a moment I calmed and pressed my cheek against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. It brought a smile to my face knowing that all this, had come from my presence. We just stood there surrounded by the peace of the meadow, nothing could spoil this. It was there that everything clicked in. Derek was the person I needed to be with, Jacob was just my stand in.

My eyes slowly trailed up his face, examining the structure of his chin up past his soft, slightly pouted lips along the bridge of his nose finally resting on his eyes, which stared out into the meadow. He soon lowered his gaze to mine and smiled. I knew this was our moment that I would remember this forever, or as long as my life was destined to run. I shivered as one hand slowly traced up my back and around to my chin, which he tilted ever so slightly. My heart raced faster than ever as he lowered his lips to mine.

I felt every tie to Jacob fade away, every trace of my love for him snapped away and in its place, a stronger love for Derek. The moment his lips touched mine, I was free. Our hearts raced together, beating the same song.

Our lips parted, to my regret but he rested a hand against my cheek. "I knew you felt it too." I smiled and nuzzled my face more into his hand. I had found my happy ending, my reason to live, my everything. No matter what pain it may cause Jacob he would heal and one day find his everything, his real everything.

All too soon our perfect day was coming to an end. The sun was beginning to set and Derek sadly had to work in the morning. The drive back was too fast for my liking even though I was going below the limit to make it last, one hand on the steering wheel, the other clasped together with Derek.


	12. Decisions and Warnings

***Gain sorry for delay I hope you guys like this chapter! Yes I am bringing in the drama and yes it will be tense :D I am doing as many as I can so you guys have something to read for a while as I was given as HUGE project at school today. Three yes THREE essays due in about two weeks so I need to crack down and be a good little college girl. I promise more will come once the stupid essays are done. ENJOY :) Do not forget to message me with some ideas, I am always open to outside opinions, my brain decides to shut down sometimes.***

**Decisions and Warnings**

The goodbye between Derek and seemed to drag on in front of his home. Kisses, holding each other and gazes held us in our place. The buzz of my phone from Alice brought us out of our moment and I sadly returned home, with the promise of seeing my love again tomorrow. Time seemed to drag on now that I found my reason to live. Those love songs or stories were true, everything seemed to fall into place once you found that special person. Derek was mine, no matter what anyone would say or do.

All that was left was tell Jacob....

I was Bella version two, choosing someone else over Jacob leaving him all alone once again. Now it seemed like his life was destined to be filled with heartache, he seemed to welcome the misery. I was glad I still had time to plan how I would break off the engagement. A feat I still not want to accomplish but I knew it was going to happen whether I wanted to or not.

"Took you long enough! I get you were off smooching your new boy-toy but I am starving!" Alice released my arms from her 'dramatic' shake and winked as I was pulled towards the forest. Mom, Rosalie and Esme had taken off just before I arrived, hunger seemed to override gossip tonight. Naturally Alice would wait since she knew all the details. Dad stood silent by the window as we disappeared into the trees. That was another conversation I was not looking forward too; Dad was someone you could never understand, I was either scheduled for a lecture or pat on the back.

Deep into the trees I was finally released from Alice's hold and thankfully we hunted in silence. I was given some time to begin how I would be breaking Jacob's heart... once again. I knew this time he would never be able to recover, I was his imprintee I was supposed to last forever. Be the mother of his children, his soul mate, his everything and here I was, falling for someone else and planning a life with him,

"Alice, I can't do this. I cannot hurt Jacob, he has been through so much with Mom. You think he would have learned to avoid Cullen women by now. Is there anyway I can get out of this? Maybe write a letter, he could just stay in Hawaii or something."

I was met by an obvious look from Alice, telling me to think again and just deal with it. "Ness.... you never knew this would happen with Derek. You are a big girl you can do this and Jacob is a big boy he will get over it. He will just be like Leah, a genetic dead end. The world can deal with a few less dogs."

That last comment I ignored as a herd of elk caught my attention and within moments I brought down a buck to feed. I tossed the lifeless body to the side and sank into the moist grass to rest as Alice finished her elk. The Jacob situation disappeared from my mind as I faded into my memories of my time with Derek. The feeling of his lips still remained on mine and I smiled just knowing I would be feeling them once again tomorrow. If I had my way, I would spend my day just kissing him.

"Earth to Renesmee! Sweetie save the dreams for tonight. Your father and I want to speak with you." My eyes opened to find Mom hovering over me with slight annoyance on her face; her hands were placed firmly on her slender waist. The fading sun made her skin softly glisten and her now butterscotch eyes echoed with parental warnings.

I nodded and slowly rose and walked just behind her like a prisoner being lead to the executioner's block. The memories of past discussions with my parents only intensified my worry of what was to come; whenever they took place, was due to an interrupted kissing session with Jacob that had slightly gone too far. Dad yelled, Mom scolded and I accused them of being hypocritical. An argument usually followed and I ran to La Push to vent and, do it all again.

This time around I had no idea why I was being pulled into a discussion. I was doing something the whole family seemed to approve of and for once Dad accepted my choice in boys. It had only been a day since Derek walked into my life but, Dad seemed to have become relaxed and happy. I began to gnaw on my lower lip, a habit picked up from Mom and my hands remained clenched to my sides, thanks to Dad.

"What have I done this time?"

Mom stayed silent, I only now noticed that Alice and the others had ran ahead, a bad sign. Normally Alice would attempt to defend me even though she gave up mid argument to her dismay, I loved Alice but she could never win these battles. "Mom please just tell me. I swear nothing has happened between Derek and I."

"Renesmee you are not in trouble, with the family. It is something else I am sorry, please wait till we get home." Her eyes copied the sorrow in her voice, now the annoyance from before had faded to worry and fear. I had only seen her look this way once, when the Volturi had sentenced us to death. This was it! I had once again caused the end of my family, they had given up waiting and wanted us dead. I would never see Derek again.

The white house came into view all too soon and standing on the porch looking slightly angered was Dad. His fists clenched at his sides and eyes burning to the ground but they snapped to our direction as Mom and I broke through the trees. Standing silently behind him was the rest of my family. My nerves kicked into high gear, they never hung around for these discussions. Something was not right. Dad's stance softened as Mom came within arms reach and she was soon wrapped in his loving embrace. I just rolled my eyes muttering for them to save it for the cottage.

"Renesmee."

"Sorry, I'm just not in the mood to see that." I heard Emmett chuckle from the doorway and the tense mood seemed to loosen for only a moment. The tension was driving me insane I wanted to know when the Volturi was coming so I could attempt to self sacrifice so my family could survive.... I needed to know!

Suddenly Dad was at my side, fear and anger ever present in his eyes. His hand softly rubbed my back in an attempt to calm me, like it could work I was set to die. "Its not them sweetie. They have not even thought of us since that time when you were young. And I never want you to ever think of trying a stunt like that! I have already had one woman I love attempt that, I do not need you to follow in her footsteps and succeed, you know it would not help anyway."

"Then why...are you so tense if that is not what is going on, why am I feeling like a criminal?"

His eyes answered that question, they fell onto a letter stabbed with a stick into the ground. My name in blood red ink on the top, followed by the words "You and your new boyfriend are no longer secret. The pack knows."


	13. Paradise Shattered

**Paradise Shattered**

My heart stopped and it felt like it had fallen out of my body as I stared at the letter. The pack knew. They knew all about my affair with Derek but did they know the whole story? How did they find out? Where did they see me? Dad tightened his grip around me as I leaned into him for support, I soon found myself on the couch with my head laying in Mom's lap.

"It will be alright sweetie. This is just a threat, they are angry that's all. We can calm them down and everything will be smoothed over by the time Jacob comes home." Her fingers slowly ran through my hair as a wave of relaxation flowed over me. My eyes fell on Jasper who hovered over Alice, who was leaning against a wall rubbing her temples.

My head shook back and forth as I sat up from her hold, Dad stood guarding my every move as I continued to shake my head. "This is not alright! Talking, money or whatever you have planned will make it alright. Don't you see, I am doomed us more than I did with the Volturi."

All eyes were on me in shock, the word I uttered was almost a curse in our home. We refused to speak of them even though it seemed as if they had forgotten about us. I paced the room in my own little world trying to forget that I had just ruined not only my life but the life of my family and Derek. My chest rose and fell at a rabid rate. My perfect world was coming crashing down.

"I have to go check on Derek! They could kill him!" Before I even made a move to the door Mom had her hands on my shoulders and Emmett blocked the door way. I tried to fight, I had to protect him. He was my everything and the pack would have him killed for what he has done to their leader. The La Push pack would be angry but would never send a letter like this. It was Jacob's pack that had done this. Leah, Quil, Seth, Embry; they all cared for him as much as I did.

Mom pulled me back to the couch and forced me to sit as my panic attack set in once again, I found myself crying. I did not want to lose him, I could not lose him. Without Derek I would be nothing, I would be like Mom when Dad left, an empty shell. I would not run to Jacob to heal me, I would be too broken. "Ness everything will be fine. We will deal with this, trust me. No one will hurt you or Derek. I will not let anyone turn you into an empty shell."

Dad sat next to me with such confidence, he would never see another woman become what Mom had when he left. It still pained him to think about what she had been through when he left. Once just once, Mom let him in, so he could see what she was like and I had never seen him so sad. He had broken her, Jacob healed her but only to a small extent and when they reunited, the world was right. I was in the same senerio now, in a way.

It took some time but I settled and soon the house was buzzing with activity as we began to plan how to protect Derek and, find out which member had discovered us. The main 'suspects' were Quil, Embry and Leah. All three were loyal to the end and had the anger to do step up and do something about what had happened. Deep down I knew who it was and along with everyone else but we wanted to avoid the accusations for now. There a more important issue that had now arisen. Whether to tell Derek about who I really was.

"You don't have to honey. We are going to Alaska for a couple weeks to give the pack some time to cool down, you can bring him and just say its so the family can get to know him. You won't have to tell him, it can remain a secret." Mom rubbed my shoulder as I settled into a chair at the dining room table with the letter in my hand. She knew what emotions were flying through my body, she had kept the same secret from her family and friends when she and Dad were dating. Grandma still remained in the dark and Grandpa only knew as much as he wanted to know but with Sue by his side, it was easier for him. My head fell into my hands as the idea of Derek taking off and running for his life when I told him my family secret.

How else could you expect a boy to take when his girlfriend say "Hey sweetie I love you, my family is different from everyone, we are vampires well, I'm half because my Mom was human when I was born. We don't drink human blood only the blood of animals, so consider us vegetarians." The thought of how I would tell him made me even more sick. I soon excused myself and disappeared into my room.

I found myself soon checking my e-mails and of course several from Derek saying how much he loved me and how he could not wait to see me again. I replied with a short and truthful answer.

_I love you too, can't wait to see you. I will call you when you get off work. The house is a little busy, some issues came up with Jacob I will explain soon._

_Renesmee._

My eyes fell onto another e-mail from an address I was unfamiliar with and I slowly opened it and was met with shock and horror.

_Bloodsucker Trash_

_Come to your little special place at midnight. Tell no one or your new boy will learn your dirty little secret. I am watching. Do not show and your secret is spilled._

_Wolf._


	14. Confrontation

**Confrontation**

The meadow seemed ugly as I stepped through the trees a few minutes before midnight, I was actually afraid to be here. My eyes flew sharply around the place that was normally filled with such love, respect, and now it was filled with dread. The beats of my heart almost seemed to shake my entire body as I waited for the wolf to show. I knew who it was and I had always expected that this one would do anything to ruin my family, in any way.

I rested against a trunk while the last few seconds ticked by, hoping that no one noticed my absence from the house. The moment I read the e-mail I knew escaping would be a feat, even though I had done it many times before. Naturally this time around, I was not sneaking out to spend time with Jacob, I was protecting my family and their secret, from the person I loved.

Thankfully tonight my parents had left for their quality time earlier than usual, the rest of the family were in the dining room trying to organize our trip. Even though I was 'safe' I knew Dad would be keeping an extra close 'eye' on me so I made sure to think of silly things, something he would suspect as a dream or just dozing off. I waited a few minutes longer than I should have before slipping out my bedroom window and dashing through the forests, I would be caught before my car was even out of the garage. Besides I preferred to run, just like Mom; we loved the wind in our hair, the feeling of being completely free. As I ran I dreamed of what it would be like to run with Derek, I imagined it would be like what Mom used to describe when she and Dad would run together, this time around I would be carrying him. For now all I could do was dream of what we could do because after tonight, that is all I may be able to do.

The snapping of a twig sent my head flying to the left as a pair of eyes glaring in the moonlight appeared. I swallowed the remaining bits of fear and set my face, I wanted to appear strong like my Mom, while on the inside I was screaming.

I shut my eyes for only a moment to collect my nerves and as they opened I was met with shock and a surprise I had never expected. "Seth?!"

"Quiet Nessie, I'm sorry for the harsh e-mail but I had to. Quil saw you with that guy and told Leah and you know her, she just flipped and was ready to spill everything. I want to keep the peace you know? But how could you do that to Jake? He has been through so much."

I lowered my eyes and sighed with some relief I had been expecting Leah and was mentally preparing myself for a battle, one that would permanently destroy our peace. Never would I have expected Seth to get involved but he was loyal to Jake and my family, no matter what. "I'm sorry Seth it...it just happened. It was like the imprinting never happened, I felt like I had a decision. Come on I was just his second choice, he couldn't have Mom so he chose me, the second version. I'm sorry I don't want to hurt him but I love the new one."

Seth just stared at me with a wide open mouth, for a moment I was wondering if a shape shifter could actually die from a heart attack. At first I wanted to say something but I had learned even the smallest thing could spark their temper so I let Seth process everything. Relief was still washing over me, I had been worried that by now I would either be dead or responsible for the death of Leah. I was ready to defend Derek till my last breath; he was my everything and I would not let anyone hurt him.

"Nessie... how did you break away from Jake's imprint? No one can do that! I mean, you break a few rules yourself but how?!" Seth shook his head vigorously trying to understand it himself. I just casually shrugged because I had no idea myself. This was something new to everyone, an imprintee breaking free and making their own decisions. "This could change everything for us. I mean if you can break away, Kim, Claire, Rachel and even Emily could do it. Oh Nessie couldn't you just pretend?"

My eyes shot out at Seth's final remarks, me pretend to love Jacob? Pretend to be happy for the rest of my life, faking everything between us and bringing children into a fake life, I could never do that. Pretending to love someone was one thing but, putting on an act for the rest of my life was another, it would kill more than just myself.

The look on my face gave Seth his answer and he just sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. I knew why he wanted me to stay. If I found a way to free myself and the fellow imprintees found out, the race of shape shifters would dwindle to almost nothing. He was trying to save his bloodlines, a race which had been around for almost as long as my kind had.

"Seth I can't explain it, I would never want to cause any of you pain but I guess you can say I imprinted on my own. I'm just as lost about this as you must be; just please when you go back home, tell them to leave him alone. Please." A sob caught in my throat as thoughts of what Leah and the packs could do to him, if they decided to seek revenge and used him as they angle.

A warm hand gently rubbed my shoulder and I looked up to see Seth ever so slightly smiling, his promise to do his best. I placed mine onto his and he jolted as I flooded him with everything that had happened since Jacob had left. The argument with Dad after dropping Jacob off, my time at the mall and missing Jacob, meeting Derek and how I just saw him as a random guy, the dinner and soon how my heart was opened to my surprise. I decided to skip out on the kissing and over mushy stuff between Derek and I. My final images were mirroring what was happening right now, Seth standing there with a hand on my shoulder, agreeing to help me protect Derek. I released my hand and softly bit my lip as I looked into the eyes of the one person I hoped to help me.

"I will do my best Nessie, everyone is pretty upset, well everyone that knows. We are keeping it between the boys and Leah. I'll talk to them and will let you know, I really should go, they think I'm just doing some surveillance. We'll talk soon Nessie. Just do me a favor, keep Derek away from here." He patted my shoulder one last time and disappeared into the trees. I waited a few minutes to collect myself before running back to the house. I did not get very far. A couple kilometers away from the meadow I smacked right into Emmett and naturally right behind him stood the rest of my family.


	15. Parental Walls Crumble

***Okay! I hope you guys like this chap! I'm working on the rest, trying to decide how many I wanna do before I end this story and sadly I do not know when the next one will be up, we are starting the core classes in school now and I have heard these ones are tough and have a heavy work load... don't know how bad but I shall let you know. Feel free to message me for updates. PS. I am like SOOOOOOO excited right now! My friend and I preordered tickets for New Moon!!!! Get to see it the first day!!! I'll write soon :D***

**Parental Walls Crumble**

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen what do you think you were doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I winced as Mom used my full name, she had never used that so I knew I was not going to get out of this one. I kept my head down while each member took their turn to scold me; the only time I looked up was to meet my father's eyes. He never opened his mouth, he only stared. Behind the anger I could see a mix of betrayal, relief that I was safe and the normal fear of an overprotective father.

The run home was silent, I was between my parents with Alice and Jasper behind us and everyone else running in front. My eyes stayed focused forest in front, I refused to look at my parents, or anyone for that matter. I had never seen Mom this angry or Dad this hurt by what I had done and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and cry for forgiveness. He sighed with frustration when I thought that last part, so I knew that would not work.

Soon the familiar scent of the house came through the trees and I could dimly see the lights from the main windows. Alice and Jasper ran past and soon Dad placed a hand on my arm to pull me to a stop, Mom came to a halt on my opposite side. Rosalie cast a look over her shoulder with a look of sympathy as she and the rest of the family disappeared.

My eyes focused on the blades of grass softly twisting in the faint breeze that now was coming through the forest, I was refusing to meet either pair of eyes watching my every move. The anger coursing from Mom made me shiver, I had never seen her like this. She had always been my backup and now, she was my worst enemy.

The silence slowly began to eat away at my sanity and I slowly looked up to meet the eyes of my mother. "I'm sorry..." I could not think of anything else to say, I was truly sorry for taking off and meeting with Seth but I had to do something. I did not want to be the weak link I wanted to help my family with the scenario, I refused to let them do all the work, I believed Seth would be an asset.

"Sorry is not what I want to hear Renesmee, what you did was careless, it could have been a trap. You should have spoken to us about the e-mail, regardless of what it said. You are one of the important people in my life, it would kill me to see something happen to you." The anger had faded away only to leave the pain of past memories, of when she almost lost everyone she loved. The face off with the Volturi, Dad leaving and almost dying in Volterra, Jacob being injured in the newborn fight; I hated doing that to her.

What did she want me to say? I was not going to stand back and let them handle everything, Derek was mine and I had to protect him. Mom knew what I was going through so I was expecting some sympathy from her, from everyone.

I looked to Dad hoping for something but he remained silent and the look of betrayal still remained in his eyes. He refused to look at me for more than a couple seconds, I could almost see the burning man that Jacob had seen when Mom was pregnant with me. "I should not be judged for this! I am doing what you did for Dad in Italy, so do not give me a lecture for standing up to protect the man I love."

"This is not the same thing Renesmee! Edward did that because he believed I had died; neither Derek or yourself have died and all the emotions you are experiencing are new and you do not know how to react." Mom cast a glance at Dad who now had his eyes shut with a pained look on his face, remembering the time in Italy, asking the Volturi to kill him because the woman he loved, he thought, was dead.

My hands were beginning to shake with anger because in my opinion this was the same, someone was threatening to harm the man I loved. So what if the details were different, I was reliving my parents' courtship to the very end and the judgment was driving me insane. At the moment I just wanted to be alone to figure out my own course of action. I was not going to allow anyone to tell me how to live my life, or to protect those in it.

It was still odd to see Mom in the role of disciplinarian, she had always just stood back and allowed Dad to handle that factor, only stepping up if I needed to be defended or rescued when he went too far. I knew her stubbornness would be my enemy this time, once she made her mind up of how she was to act, she would not bend for anyone, well almost anyone. "Mom please, just try to see it from my point of view. If this was Dad and not Derek would you not have gone and meet them? You did it when you thought James had Grandma, how is this not any different?"

Mom let out a low growl and clenched her fists I knew I was stepping into dangerous territory by constantly bringing up their pasts, but it was my only evidence when it came to proving my case. "I will repeat, this is not the same!"

"Bella love." Our eyes snapped to Dad' direction, betrayal still remained but the pain had left his face, he was staring at Mom with sincerity. "She is right, everything we went through, she is now living out. We can only blame ourselves by entitling her to our stories it would eventually become her reality."

My mouth dropped as Dad looked to me with the hint of a smile; I knew it would take some time to earn his forgiveness for my actions but we were finally on the same page. I slowly took the step to stand next to him and to my relief I was pulled close for my needed fatherly embrace. "Renesmee, I never want to see you alone in the woods with a dog again." I nodded into his shoulder as he softly rubbed my back. Sometimes being a Daddy's girl had its perks.

It took some time before Mom settled down and was able to place a hand on my shoulder, even Dad was unable to convince her at first. For a few moments we shared a quiet family moment of just embracing and solidifying our bonds. It was there I promised to never take on another task without notifying my parents at least. No matter what was said, they wanted to know even if I never vocalized the issue.

"Now that we have settled this I think we should discuss our other issue. Whether you tell Derek of your bloodlines or not." I sighed as Mom bit her lip and softly brushed the top of my head. We already had an basic idea of how to keep Derek under close watch but, we were still unsure of how to possibly bring him into our world.

I simply shrugged my shoulders and moved away from Dad's hold and slowly began to make my way to the house. I was doing my best to avoid that subject as long as I possibly could; how I could spring that on him so quickly. We just somewhat cemented our relationship it was still too soon to add the vampire/human part to it. I needed more time and I knew that was never going to happen, if he was the one I wanted to be with, he had to know me inside and out.

Once we arrived home I excused myself and slipped up to my room and redressed into my pajamas and sank into my bed. "He seems like an open minded guy, he could take my lineage without a flinch.... I think." I sighed and shoved my face into my pillow to try and suffocate the thoughts. I rolled over suddenly to see Dad hovering by the door.

I sat up and he sat on my bed and sadly the look of betrayal was once again plastered all over his face. "Dad I'm sorry about tonight... you know why I did it, I just was not thinking. I honestly thought it was Leah, I was expecting to see more than one."

He held up his hand just sighed. "I am not here to yell I simply want to let you know I am shocked by your actions. You know the family will always back you up, we never allow anyone to go at it alone. It amazes me how much you are like your mother, I wish you had taken more of my reserved behavior. You can't have everything though but please, think before you act. I also want you to actually think about explaining to Derek; we do have to refrain from exposing ourselves, it was the same for your mother, she figured it out on her own well with help from a certain dog but I hope you get my point. I don't want to see you hurt."

I simply smiled and settled back into bed with a curt nod to show that I would take some time to decide whether to tell Derek or not. Dad kissed the top of my head and headed back downstairs with the rest of my family, I slipped into a peaceful sleep.


	16. Deadline

***Okay! So things have gotten a little crazy with school so I have been really preoccupied plus, I have been doing the super crazy New Moon countdown. Can you guys believe it is almost here?! I'm so excited!!!! Also I had a MAJOR computer issue, my computer got infected by a worm and we have to basically wipe the computer and start over so as you can guess, I lost the story and everything. I wasn't too far into the sixteenth chapter but still a pain in the behind. I'll do my best to make up for it :)***

**Deadline**

I awoke the next morning to the sounds of birds singing just outside my window and the sun warmly beaming in. For a moment I had forgotten about the incident last night and how I had severely crushed the trust of my family. The memories slowly came crawling back and I curled into a ball as a wave of regret washed over me. How could I have done that to my family? I should have known better than to decieve them like that; it would take a while for them to trust me again.

Suddenly I began to feel a new emotion, one of calm and relaxation, I tried to shake it off and soon rolled over to see Jasper hovering by my door. I rolled my eyes, of course. I slowly sat up and sighed as he sat on my bed, watching me with careful eyes. "We never lost trust in you. It just shocked us that would attempt something like that, guess you are Bella's daughter after all." He chuckled, I could not help but to join him.

I knew he was referring to how Mom had ran straight into a trap set by a sadistic vampire by the name of James, a hunter, who had set his sights on her after seeing how Dad defended her while she was human. It almost resulted in her death but thankfully she was saved. Most of the family refused to tell me about Mom's past, I managed to sneak bits and pieces out of her, much to Dad's dismay.

"I am sorry though I...." My apology was cut off by his hand, along with the presence of Rosalie standing in my doorway. Her face was set in a disapproving glare but I could see in her eyes she was relieved that I was home safe. In her hand was a cordless phone and two fingers covering the bottom so whoever was on the line could not hear.

"The dog is on the line. He has been calling for the past three hours, so desprate to talk to you. Please deal with him, I am tired of talking to him." I froze as the fear swept over me. Was Seth too late? Has Leah or anyone else told him about my affair? My eyes could not leave the phone as Rosalie gracefully walked to my bedside and placed the phone in my lap. I could hear Jacob calling out to see if anyone was there. Jasper placed his hand on mine and I was instantly calm and confident that I could handle it.

The phone was on my ear and I kept a firm grip on Jasper's hand to keep my emotions in control, so I was cheating, I didn't care. I wasn't ready to tell him. "Hey Jake... how are you? Enjoying the beaches of Hawaii?" I figured maybe a five minute conversation will be suffice until I'm ready to break everything off.

"Dull without you, I miss you Renesmee. I'm thinking of coming home early, I cannot stand being away from you for so long. I'm driving Rebecca crazy. I should be home by tomorrow night; besides I hate making you do all the wedding plans." Panic set in once again, Jasper's ability could not set in fast enough. No! This was not fair, I was no ready to deal with him; I had not prepared myself as to how I would do it. "Ness? Are you there, is everything okay?"

Jasper's eyes flashed to me as the image of Jacob coming home flowed through his head. He quickly rose from my bed. I gripped his hand but slowly released as I realized what I had to do. He softly nodded and disappeared downstairs. "No Jacob, stay there. You deserve the vacation I can honestly wait the remaining time, please." I hoped that I had the same persausion over Jacob with 'please' as Mom was with Dad.

It was not hard to guess that Jacob was hurt by my asking him to stay away for longer. This was only the beginning of me hurting him but it had to start sooner or later. "Ness..... I cannot stay away from you another day. I made my decision and I am coming home. Besides, the packs have been acting weird and I need to find out what is going on. Seth keeps trying to make Leah wait for something; it is starting to worry me. Everything will be as it should be by late tomorrow, I promise, I love you."

I was frozen with fear, Jasper was gone and so was my state of calm. I muttered a reply and hung up the phone. My worst nightmare was becoming a reality, Jacob knew something was up and was coming home to investigate. By tomorrow he would be home and hell would break loose. Derek would learn of my bloodlines and probably run away screaming, I would practically kill Jacob and I would be alone. I slowly made my way downstairs, I was expecting to see them crowded around the stairs waiting. I was wrong.

The only ones waiting for me at the stairs was my parents. The house was silent and I knew something had happened from the time Jasper saw what was happening, till now. As I reached the stairs Dad held a piece of paper out to me. I knew the handwriting the moment the paper touched my fingers, Seth had failed.

_Ness,_

_I'm sorry I can't hold them back anymore. The moment Jacob touches down, Leah will tell him what has happened. Tell your family to leave and leave now, truce over. I'm sorry. _

_Seth_


	17. Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do

**Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do**

"What?! How can he say truce over? We haven't done anything that goes against the treaty or anything. All I did was fall out of love with Jacob, they are overreacting!" I crumpled up the letter and went to toss it across the room but, Dad caught it before it cleared my hand. I glared at him as I folded my arms across my chest, I was not leaving my home over a bunch of shape-shifters getting angry over my little decision. "This is nuts! I swear I will go to La Push and smack some sense into them!" I went to storm up the stairs back to my room but Mom caught my arm and pulled me back.

Her face almost matched the way it had been last night when I had been busted for sneaking out meet with Seth. I hated to admit it but, I actually feared my mother when she looked like that. I was always used to my happy, smiling, never bothered mother. Dad was simply shaking his head and letting out a frustrated sigh, he too seemed a little stunned at Mom's sudden fits of anger. "Love, take it easy. She has a point, those dogs are always eager to jump at the chance to fight with us. I'm sure we can smooth this over."

I almost felt like laughing, it was usually Mom trying to calm him down, not the other way around. Mom went to glare at him but her anger seemed to fade away the moment she met his eyes. This was one time I was thankful of his ability to scramble her brain with a simple look. "Mom I swear everything will work itself out. I just need to convince Jacob to stay a little longer, I'll make up some excuse, I'll say we're going to see Tanya or something. That way he'll stay the full three weeks." I smiled actually believing that plan would work and save us from a possible battle.

"Renesmee, no matter what you do the truce will end. The pack has never experienced an imprintee breaking the hold, or one basically cheating on their intended love. It is going to ruin their own existence and they will fight to keep order. I'm sorry it has to end like this but what has happened cannot be undone. Aside from that, you have a decision to make, whether you are going to tell Derek about who you are or not which I'm sorry, will lead to whether you wish to have him changed or not."

My jaw nearly dropped as what she said sunk in, to change him or not, to tell him or not. My whole body began to shake with anger, fear, and a mix of other emotions. I have never even thought of the possibility of changing him, I never thought I would have to allow that to happen. It soon clicked in as to why they were even bringing the subject up.

"You honestly think the Volturi would check up on us? It has been almost eight years since we have crossed their minds. Maybe this can be a perfect scenario... I mean maybe I will be able to live out my life with him and not have to worry about it." The look I received from them stopped that train of thought, I knew they would find out and the same routine would happen all over again. I shuddered at the thought of those billowy robes flowing through the trees, their red eyes burning for the death of my love and my family. I dropped my head and shook it furiously back and forth, I did not want to change him, I didn't even know if I could tell him who I really was. Everything was simpler with Jacob, he knew my secret and it was not going to cause any problems.

My eyes soon became clouded with tears and I found myself in the arms of Mom as she tried to silence my hysteria. Dad softly stroked my back while his other arm rested around Mom's waist, we stood their in silence for I don't even know how long. Slowly my tears dried up and I slowly raised my head from Mom's chest, she wiped away the remaining ones and smiled. "We will find a way honey, you know we will but you still must decide. We will support you no matter what but you know if you decide not to tell him, I do not know how it could last. He would notice we never age, or any other of our little non-human abilities. It is up to you in the end my dear."

I shook my head over and over, I could not accept this fact with any of my being. The thought of taking his life after only just acknowledging my feelings for him. Too much was taking place, faster than I could have ever wanted. Jacob was coming home, Derek was in danger, the pack was preparing to fight; the shock was almost unbearable. I hated to think it but at this minute, I wish my life had been ended by the Volturi years ago. Dad hissed and the hand on my back clenched into a fist. I sighed and peaked up from Mom's chest to be met with a burning glare from him.

"Sorry.... I just cannot take much more of this." Mom eyed us, confusion spread across her face as she wondered what had caused his reaction. The look soon faded as I lied with images of me going to La Push to calm things with the pack. Sure this alternative was almost as bad as my thoughts of the Volturi, it just seemed easier than dealing with another of Mom's freak outs. I heard a stressed chuckle from Dad and our comfort cuddle disbanded. Mom kept an arm around my shoulders as we went into the living room.

The note from Seth was uncrumpled now in Dad's hand as he read over the words over and over; I could tell he was attempting to work out a plan. Was there anything we could do to appease the pack for my betrayal? I had broken their strongest hold; their entire belief system had been crushed. My eyes burned towards the letter. I wanted it to explode and take the threat with it, I wanted the pack to accept my decision and move on. "This is unfair, I was finally happy, truly happy. Stupid dogs ruining everything for me!" I didn't flinch at the derogatory word, I was more than angry with how they were about to slash through my happiness.

My hands were clenched into tight fists as I began to think of ways to end this fight, my way. I knew exactly how to do it. I would flaunt my relationship with Derek right in front of Emily, Kim, Rachel; all of the imprintees. Show them that they did have the option of really falling in love, that nothing had to be taken away from them; I could be the leader of a love rebellion! I could...

"Renesmee... we raised you better than that. I know it hurts but you must not think that way. We will find a way to appease the situation, I promise. I think....hmm, perfect timing." His head cocked to the left as my cellphone went off. I lit up when I saw the caller ID, the phone was to my ear before the end of the first ring. Although I had a lot of decide when it to came to him; his voice was the remedy I needed.

I dashed up the stairs as we went through the normal formalities when beginning a phone call. It was pointless hiding in my room to talk to Derek, parents with super hearing knew all. The spread across my bed with a smile, just hearing how much he missed me made me forget the oncoming battle. As our conversation progressed, I began to wonder whether he should be introduced to my world. Was he strong enough? My thoughts wandered to Grandpa, he was slightly aware of what we were; only enough to allow us to stay here. He accepted our many abnormal abilities such as never aging with great ease, I wondered if Derek would do the same, if he remained human.

Derek spent a few minutes going on about how the family was dying to meet the girl who had captured his heart in such a short time; I could feel a soft blush forming over my cheeks but it soon faded as the thought of who was returning in such a short time. While I answered with fake enthusiasm a new idea formed. A way I could leave Derek human, happy, safe; I would say goodbye to my heart and go through with marrying Jacob.

"Derek, Jacob called me this morning and he is coming home early. He said he would be home by tomorrow night and I..." The words failed me I could not end things with Derek but I saw no other choice; the moment Jacob stepped foot in La Push it was over. We could move before he arrived but they knew I would not leave Derek unprotected and I would not pull him from everything he knew. How could I even be sure he would love me still knowing that I was only half human.

He was silent for a moment as he processed my tone, I was hoping he would just break it off for me. Not that it would save me from heartache but from the regret for even giving him the idea of us. "So? Saves you from having longer to worry about hurting him. He comes home, you tell him its over and we go from there, nothing to worry about sweetie." He seemed so confident that it would end easily, little did he know that it would end so much worse.

"Derek you don't understand. When he comes home my family and I will have to leave, and I mean forever. Its hard to explain and I know it sounds so stupid but this is how it is and I will not turn my back against my family." My voice quivered as I made my attempt at sounding loyal to my family but unfaithful to my heart in the same sentence. By now I knew my parents were outside my door, Mom ad her hand on the doorknob, the door shook with her eagerness to come in. I could hear Dad softly telling Mom to relax, that I was strong enough to handle this on my own. His soft chuckle nearly faded out the hiss that slipped from Mom as the door shook again.

The room was silent as Derek took it all in; I hoped that he would just get offended and hang up, never wanting to see me again. I could accept forever pretending to love Jacob, picturing that it was Derek kissing me, touching me, loving me. I knew forever would be too long but some way I would live through it. The sound of Derek inhaling before speaking broke me out of my reverie, and what he had to say I would never forget. "I am not making you turn your back on your family or turn your back on your heart, I know you love me and not this Jacob guy. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice; your family must understand and if you have to leave, I'll come with you. I am not losing you, let Jacob come I will fight him for you, I am who you truly belong with."

"Derek... I know you are but I just can't hurt him... it seems only fair to hurt myself in order to save my family." I bent my head as a few tears fell onto my comforter; I didn't care when Mom's cool arms wrapped around my shoulders, or when Dad pried the phone from my fingers. His voice inviting Derek to our house for lunch was only a distant memory. I already felt like I had lost everything I could ever love.


	18. What If

***Okay I know this another short chapter BUT as I was writing this I got a good idea so I thought I would give it a try. I'm not saying what it is you will just have to wait and see :D I'm working on the idea filled chapters as we speak. :) Review and be patient :)***

**What If**

The sound of Dad snapping my phone shut caused me to jump as I looked up to see him placing it on my computer desk. His famous crooked smile lay on his lips as he rested against the desk with his arms folded across his chest. I felt a snarl crawling up my throat as Mom tightened her arms around my shoulders. I placed my hand on her arm and Dad simply chuckled as he too saw the image of me running at him, ready to snap. "Renesmee, you cannot believe that I would let you make the same mistakes I did. I refuse to make you suffer the way I did when... well I just will not let you."

Before I could protest that I was not repeating their mistakes; the dream I had not too long ago came flooding back into my mind. Derek and I kissing, while Jacob watched from the forest. It was only one piece of a mirrored past of my parents' life. Years ago, Jacob had convinced Mom that he would come back safe during a fight with newborns if she kissed him; she did but in the end she remained with Dad. He was the one she was destined to be with, her first and only choice; she always had the chance to change her mind, something I, at first never really had.

Dad's thumb wiped away a tear I never noticed that had fallen and I sighed into Mom's shoulder. I looked at them both, seeing how their romance had played out, they were happy and always would be. I wondered if my choosing Derek, if I would be too; even though by doing that I would crush more than one life. I once again considered choosing Jacob, I could learn to love him again; it just may take some time before I did. My eyes fell on Mom who was looking down at me with a caring smile; I wondered what her life would have been like if after kissing Jacob she had changed her mind, said yes to Jacob and said no to Dad. She would still be human, still as clumsy as ever but would be able to grow, change , and experience life.

What if....


	19. A Day in the Life of Bella Black

***So remember... this is me just guessing how life would be if Eclipse ended different haha... if you catch my drift :P Like I said I am guessing this is what Jacob and Bella may have called their children, but seeing as Renesmee was based off the parents, I figured this was the route to go. This piece may last a couple chapters and than back to Renesmee, another reason I'm doing this is because I'm a little lost with how I'm going with the main plot. So this gives me a little time to think.... plus I really wanted to try this :D***

**A Day in the Life of Bella Black**

"Carlie Sarah Renee Black you have five minutes to get downstairs before I drag you out myself. You are going to be late for school!" I shot a glare at my husband who was chuckling from behind a newspaper; if he valued his life he would stop laughing and give me a hand. I sighed as I heard the sounds of my daughter stomping down the hall, my head shook with frustration, I had never been this bad when I was her age. At fifteen, I was lucky to be able to go through the day without falling flat on my face at school, causing a trip and blushed filled run from whatever class I happened to be in.

A few minutes later Carlie stomped into the kitchen and sat herself at the table with arms folded across her chest. I simply shook my head and slipped a bowl of cereal in front of her as her already dressed brother came running through. "Morning Momma!" I smiled and softly ran my hands through his silky black, shoulder length hair. Jacob Billy Jr., smiled and ran around to give his father a hug, making sure to give his very grouchy sister a wide berth to prevent any morning freak outs.

"Honestly Mom, I have an alarm I am capable of getting up on my own." Carlie snorted towards to her cereal before slowly grabbing a spoonful. I just rolled my eyes and proceeded to place mine and Jake's dishes into the dishwasher. Sometimes I wished she had taken my teenage personality instead of the typical rebellious side. At fifteen my mother said I acted like I was thirty and by seventeen I more middle-aged than she was; at seventeen a lot of things changed. I winced and shoved away the thought as I felt a pair of warm hands wrap around my waist.

Jake kissed my hair and entwined our hands against my stomach, we both laughed at the sound of disgust that came from our daughter. We shared a quick, yet passionate kiss before he left for work, leaving me to deal with our stubborn daughter and energetic son. I rushed them through breakfast and pushed Carlie through a shower and battled her as she picked out the perfect outfit for school. Thankfully I was able to get both her and Jacob Jr., into class before the final bell. I sunk back into the seat of my car after Jacob disappeared behind the school doors.

As I pulled into the drive way of my home, I rested against my seat to catch my breath; as I relaxed from the crazy school rush, the thought I had suppressed not to long ago returned. My mind drifted back to when I was seventeen, how my life changed forever. At seventeen I met and fell in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. My eyes pricked at the thought of his name, it had been years since I had laid eyes on him. Years since we broke up and went on with our own separate lives, I remained in contact with his sister Alice; who was living with most of the Cullen family in Vancouver, Canada. Edward at the moment was on vacation in Greenland.

I found myself remembering back to how my life had changed so quickly; one minute I was engaged to Edward and preparing to become a vampire myself, and with one kiss, I became Mrs. Bella Black. Many years had passed since Edward and I called off our engagement and the Cullen family moved away but it still hurt, not as much as in the beginning but still, a small piece of my heart would never heal. Against my better judgment I allowed myself to remember the day my life changed.

"_Bella love, what is wrong?"_

_His velvet voice echoed his worry as I chewed on my lip trying to find the right words. How could I be doing this when he had just fought and won for my life. My eyes remained focused on my folded hands, I could not look into his eyes. Not only would I lose my train of though but I did not want to see the pain when I said what I was planning to. I jumped when his ice cold hand touched my chin and raised it so I was forced to look into his eyes. This was my only chance and I had to do it now before I got myself any deeper. _

"_Edward..." My voice cracked as I said his name but I cleared my throat and continued. "I can't go through with this, the wedding I mean. I do not want to be a vampire, I want to stay human and have a normal human life." I shook my chin free from his now frozen fingers as I blinked away tears, trying to remain strong. Never had I thought I would be once again breaking up with him of course, I never thought my love for Jacob would over power my love for Edward._

_He remained frozen for a few minutes allowing me the time to compose myself and prepare for whatever reaction I may receive. The last time we have broken up, it was Edward who left, not me. This time I was the one saying goodbye and I knew this time, I would be strong enough. In time I would be able to look back at our whirlwind romance and smile without the pain; for I would be with Jacob, my true destiny. _

_I finally returned my eyes to Edward who simply nodded and patted my hand. "I understand Bella, I always told you I would be here until you sent me away. There are no hard feelings, I just want you to know I will always love you." I nodded and deep down I knew I would always love him as well, but we both deserved different endings. "If you wish... this will be the last time you will see or hear from me, I know I have said this before but if its what you want...." Again I nodded and fought back a few tears as he helped me to my feet. _

"_There is one thing I want to ask of you Edward." I laughed internally at how formal our break up had become, and I also laughed at how strong I was this time around. It was as if my mind and heart knew I was making the right decision. He nodded and gave me a small smile. "Please do not hide from your family this time." For a moment he looked confused but than simply nodded again as he too remembered why I was asking this. The last time we had broken up, he had all but abandoned the Cullens to wallow in his guilt and remorse for leaving me. I smiled, relieved that I would not further hurt my former in laws to be. _

_  
As Edward and I ran back to my house I found myself wondering why this time around, I did not sink into the black pit like I had last time. I simply shook my head as I remembered that this time, I had my personal sun to keep me surfaced and alive; this time around I would not be overcome with nightmares and I would never become a zombie. I would be happy and with Jacob._

_The goodbye between my former fiance' and I was simple, we hugged and again agreed to never contact each other. He disappeared into the trees and I ran for my truck, before I knew it I was in La Push and in the arms of Jacob. _

A few days later the Cullens disappeared again; the remaining Cullen children accepted into far away colleges, Dr. Cullen and his wife moving back to Alaska to for some peace and quiet, only I would know the truth. A couple years later, Jake and I were engaged and within the year married. Naturally less than a year later Carlie was born, and five years after that Jacob Jr. followed, we moved to Seattle where Jake had become a member of the police department. I smiled at the memory of Jake coming home to say he had joined, always wanting to protect the people. The La Push pack was finally able to relax and enjoy their lives, most had chosen to age with their loved ones, like Jake. I smiled when I remembered that my son would not become a werewolf because we knew, most vampires now knew to avoid this area.

The sound of thunder brought me back into the present time, it had been a while since I had slipped back into the past. I sighed as I ran towards the porch, making it under the roof just as the rain began to fall. Even though I had spent the final years of my teenage stage in a town that was well known for the rain, I still hated the sight, sound and feeling of the rain. I grabbed the mail and stalked into the house so I could begin my daily routine. Yes, I was a simple housewife, even though I had been accepted into a few good colleges, I decided to forgo the post-secondary education route and settle quite easily into the housewife and stay at home mother lifestyle.

I spent the next few minutes sorting the mail, tossing out the junk and organizing the bills in the order I would pay them. My hand froze over one envelope and it took a minute for my heart to restart as I recognized the handwriting. My hand began to shake as I ripped it open and unfolded the piece of paper inside. The breath caught in my chest as I read short note.

**Bella, **

**I know we agreed to never speak to each other again but I will be in the area as I am coming to visit my family. I thought I might stop by and say hello to you. Of course it is up to you, I have enclosed my number if you wish to see me. It is up to you.**

**Edward.**


	20. A Day in the Life of Bella Black Part 2

***I think there shall be one more chapter like this than back to Renesmee... I honestly did not want to carry on with this too much longer. Who knows maybe I will make a whole new story based on these chapters!***

**A Day in the Life of Bella Black Part 2**

My eyes traced over and over the words, 'I thought I might stop by and say hello to you' years had passed and he had barely entered my mind, I was too busy with my life. I had never thought he would ever want to see me again, I had thought wrong. I was nearly thirty seven years old; I barely looked like the girl he had fallen in love with all those years ago. As I thought of my age and how I looked now, my eyes focused on the window in my kitchen that overlooked the backyard. My face was no longer thin and sallow as it had been, it was rounder and wrinkles prominently showed around my eyes, forehead and at the corners of my mouth. Forever just like Charlie; I even had his crinkly eyed smile now.

I was heavier in size now but not by much, chasing after two children and keeping a house neat and tidy along with having a werewolf for a husband made maintaining some sort of a normal weight manageable. I now noticed that my eyes as aged as well, they now were not as bright as they had been, they still remained their deep chocolate brown color but now they seemed darker, and they echoed the years of wisdom I had attained with my interesting life history.

My eyes returned to his note and I found that my heart was racing with excitement as if it wanted me to call the number right away, and run off to see the vampire who I used to call my destiny. The thoughts shocked me back into reality, I was happily married to Jacob, we had two lovely children and I was normal. My hands slowly began to crumple the note but I froze and reopened the paper and sighed. It would not hurt to just say hello, see what he had been up to since we said goodbye. I knew how the other Cullens were getting along, hearing about the final Cullen would not be a sin.

I grabbed the cordless phone and quickly dialed the number. I was relieved that he did not pick up, I figured he was hunting, three rings and a beep. "Hello Edward, its Bella. Uh yes I think meeting up would be alright. I guess just call back with where and when. Bye." My voice quivered as I hung up and I knew for sure he would catch that. I tucked the note into the back pocket of my pants and and quickly tossed away the envelope. This was one secret I would have to keep from Jacob, it would be hard but I would rather avoid a fight.

The rest of the morning went off without any distractions. I ran a few loads through the wash, attempted to clean up Carlie and Jacob Jr's rooms and spent a couple hours reading one of my old books. I jumped when the phone rang, I rushed to the kitchen but could not find the strength to pick it up. The family's corny message echoed through the house and I held my breath as I heard the beep.

"Bella, I guess I missed you but I will be at the coffee shop you frequent at three o'clock. I understand you have children to pick up so if you need to reschedule fell free to call." I released by pent up breath when he hung up and found my hand to be gripping the door frame, I slowly released my grip and leaned against the frame. My eyes fell to the clock, it was two-thirty already; the kids would be winding down another day of school, and in half an hour Jake would be coming home for lunch, part of his normal routine. I dashed upstairs and jumped into the shower, I needed to relax and also to attempt to make myself presentable. I decided on deep blue blouse and black jeans, I internally kicked myself for wearing his favorite color on me but just shrugged it off as I combed out my hair and tied it back in a ponytail.

To my shock I found myself applying some make up; attempting to make myself appear to almost match the girl he would remember. I made sure to transfer his note to the new jeans I was wearing before I nearly ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. Since Jake would be home in a couple hours I would continue to be a loving wife and made him a couple cold cut sandwiches and left a glass out for whatever he decided to drink. I grabbed sticky note from the pad on the table in the hall and quickly penned a note to him, just so he would not panic to see that I was not at home.

**Jake,**

**Going to have coffee with friends. Than doing a little shopping for the kids. I'll be home soon.**

**Love you. B.**

After sticking the note near his lunch I sighed as I grabbed my rain coat and stepped out into the dreary weather, still shock at how excited I found myself. This was surely a terrible mistake on my part, racing to see my former fiance'; I decided right there that I would blame him for all of this. I was simply under his dazzling spell for only a short time. I was simply a recovering addict having a little relapse, just one, this would be the last time I saw Edward Cullen ever again. I was and forever would be Bella Marie Black.

Too soon did I arrive at the coffee shop, I was strong enough to remain in my truck as I attempted to calm myself before walking in. While I attempted to calm my heart I started to wonder how this would look to anyone passing by. A thirty six year old woman sitting with a seventeen year old godlike creature. Would I be arrested? Oh that would end perfectly, Jacob coming to arrest some pedophile and find his wife with her ex-boyfriend. I shuddered at the thought of seeing his reaction. I sighed as I ran through the rain into the shop and pulled back my hood as I stepped through the door.

My heart speed up once again as I met the confused look from Janet; the owner of the shop and one of my dear friends. Her daughter Emma was in Jake Jr's class and we made sure to arrange many play dates for them; both secretly hoping we may spark more than a friendship down the road. "This is a surprise B, guess that morning coffee didn't keep you running now did it?" The confusion was instantly swept away with her teasing smile. We shared a laugh as I leaned against the counter while she prepared my usual order.

"Oh you caught me. I just needed a little time to myself, outside the house. Carlie was very difficult this morning. Need something to keep me focused when she comes home." I rolled my eyes at Janet's understanding smile and my hands curled around the cup she had slid my way. After a few sips I slowly slipped into my usual booth, hidden from all prying eyes. This was my little sanctuary for when Carlie caused any unneeded stress or I just needed a little time away from the hectic life of a wife and mother. Even with the somewhat public venue, I was glad Edward had chosen this place, if I needed to leave I would be able to disappear without causing a commotion.

Suddenly I remembered something; a tiny detail that had failed to register when I first decided to meet him. The one piece of our history that had forever caused tension in our physical relationship, my blood. I wondered if I would still smell the same to him as I had all those years ago, would he still be desensitized to my scent; was I endangering more than my own life? An old instinct to wrap a hand around my throat came through as I once again began to calm myself. I was overreacting, Edward had calmed not long before we became engaged that the temptation of my blood had weakened by the fact that he had gone though the belief that I was dead. Once again I shuddered at the memory of my first encounter with the Volturi and immediately erased that from my mind.

The door to the shop opened and my eyes flew up, my heart skipped a beat as he glided into the shop. It was as if I had never truly looked at him; he still remained that beautiful creature I had loved long ago. Raindrops clung like beaded gems in his disheveled bronze hair, I could hear the gasps from all the women; there was no way someone that young could look so tempting. I found myself remembering all of those nights I spent kissing that creature, when he was mine. I leaned my head into my head as I wanted this man smile my favorite crooked smile as he laughed at whatever thoughts he must be hearing; I was thankful I was still immune to his unnatural talent.

His gaze shifted from the floor, towards me. As I had when I was younger, the room began to spin and I nearly forgot who I was, where I was; Bella Black, Bella Black, Bella Black. That is who I am; focus Bella. I shook my head to clear the old burning desires of mine as he strolled towards my table; I had almost forgotten how graceful he had been. The familiar blush rose up my cheeks and I ducked my head, attempting to hide my normal reaction to this vampire. He chuckled and took his seat across from me; I jumped when his icy hand tucked under my chin to raise my head to meet his gaze. "Bella, still as beautiful as I remember."

For a moment I forgot that we were surrounded by many curious pairs of eyes; it felt as if we were sitting in our meadow, just enjoying the time we had together. Edward's amber eyes smoldered as we held each others gaze, the love that could never fade flowed between us. The electricity that I had always felt whenever I was near him strongly hummed through my veins, I was home. Even though I had hurt him years ago, I could still feel the love he had for me and I knew, he too felt the love I felt for him. Suddenly I went ramrod straight and folded my hands on the table, making sure my wedding rings were in plain view.

"I'm sorry Edward, that was unnecessary. It is nice to see you again." I knew I had to keep this short yet memorable. I could not spend too much time with him for I knew if I did; I could find myself back in the place I never wanted to be again. "How has Greenland been? What else have you been up too since you and your family left Forks?" My favorite crooked smile wiped my brain of any further questions, his eyes sparkled with a secret I seemed clueless to discover. I shook my head once again and tried to remain the clear headed middle-aged woman I was.

Edward chuckled and mimicked my posture, ramrod straight and hands folded on the table in front of him, I stole a second to glance around the room, no one was staring at us; no one noticed the thirty-six year old woman and her seventeen year old former vampire lover, reconnecting in the corner. As my eyes refocused on him; I was once again tied to only him. "Greenland was pleasant; nothing out of the ordinary. To be honest I have not been up to a lot, merely traveling the world, visiting old friends, the life of a Nomad vegetarian." We shared a laugh at the private joke over his abnormal vampire diet, the blood of animals; allowed he and his family to almost blend in, for bonds of true love...

"I am sorry I broke our agreement but Alice said I should stop by, see how you and Jacob had faired since we left. Your children are beautiful, it is a shame they took more of their father than of you. I would have loved to see more Bella like people in the world." I sighed and slowly spun my wedding band, a new habit I picked up whenever I felt annoyed or needed something to distract me. Before I dare respond I found him within inches of my face; his lips were just inches from mine, screaming to be touched. My breath quickened, my heart sped up and I gripped the table to steady my seated dizziness.


	21. A Day in the Life of Bella Black Part 3

**A Day in the Life of Bella Black Part 3**

It took all I had to pull away from those delicious lips and from the fantasies and memories swirling through my mind; the hundreds of time we had kissed, in my bedroom, the meadow, each time my body would yearn for a deeper touch, a longer kiss. His scent caused my head to swim, I could almost taste his breath on my tongue. I pressed myself against the back of my chair trying to distance myself as much as possible. He just sat there; a smile on his lips as he leaned over the table waiting for me to take the plunge.

The smile remained even as I shook my head to not only clear my thoughts but to also answer his unspoken question. No matter how much I still loved him I would not betray my Jacob, if I had wanted to be with Edward I would have stayed with him. We had our time together, one of the best times in my life and now I was married to the real love of my life. "Edward this was wrong. We made a decision years ago and we should have stuck to it. I'm sorry that I may have hurt you and yes I still love you but it was not meant to be." A lone tear ran down my cheek and before my hand could even unclamp from the table's edge, his thumb wiped it away and brushed the hair from my face.

"I did not come to make you walk away from all you have built with Jacob. I simply came to see if you were happy; and you are. This is what I always wanted for you, to be human and happy; although you would have made an fascinating immortal." I saw the flash of pain in his eyes for only a moment. I knew he was thinking of the images Alice had seen years ago, a future I had nearly died for time and time again. "I am glad that Jacob gave you the life I never could have."

My eyes left his face for a moment as I pondered what kind of life we would have had if I stayed with him. The phrase together forever would have actually been true, there would never have been children or the usual growing old together but I would have been with Edward forever. My lower lip quivered and my breath caught in my chest as his eyes flashed to me. "Sorry I just started thinking about what would have been." To my surprise he chuckled and stroked my hand, his own way of saying that he had been doing the same for many years. "Forever at eighteen would have been a wonderful thing but I know I made the right decision. I'm sorry that I had to ruin the first dreams you ever had."

I jumped at the sudden fierceness in his expression; what had I said to make him this angry? His knuckles went bone white as he crushed his hands into fists on the table surface. It took him several minutes to ease his temper before his still sharp eyes flashed to me. "You have ruined nothing Bella, you gave me the ability to dream and nothing you have done will make it stop. You will always be my first and only love, you still own my heart and if you ever wanted to give your heart back to me, I would gladly take it. Wrinkles and all."

He fought a laugh as I glared at him. I did not have that many wrinkles, I still saw the beauty of my youth. I continued to glare until his bemused appearance soften my stance and I could not help but to smile. After that, we slipped back into almost how we used to be, minus the unquenchable lust. This meeting ended up being a smart idea because now we knew we would be able to be friends, even after a torrid love affair. I felt as if a peace had finally been reached. Now we arranged a new agreement, we would stay in contact; phone calls, letters, e-mails the idea of in person meetings again were not set in stone. I would have to speak to Jacob about that aspect and I knew it would not be an easy decision.

"I'm sorry this could not have lasted longer but I know you have to pick up your children. I do hope I may be able to meet them one day, if Jacob can stand to be near me without wanting to rip off my face." We shared a laugh but I added an eye roll; Jacob was nothing like his superstitious teenage self, as much. He still hated if Edward's family was brought up but learned to accept that they would always be in some form, connected to me.

I drove home with a smile on my face knowing that I had all important pieces of my life finally together and perfect.


	22. New Hopes and New Ideas

***Well I hope you guys liked the last few chapters; I was a little unsure about the whole idea and am still not sure if that was a good route to go but I guess only time will tell. Back to the normal story. I'm sorry that these chapters are going to be very spaced out. I've kind of been put on computer probation, so I have to limit all the uploading and crud. BUT this gives me lots of time to basically finish the story :)***

****I must apologize severely for what has happened with this story. I had a lot of problems at home and just could not focus on working the story. Everytime I sat down, I just could not focus to even write a sentence. I am so sorry to everyone who was always looking forward to the next chapter. Now I am calm and have time to sit and plot. There is another completed chapter after this one, and I am almost done a third. I hope this weekend I can really just relax and really get this story back on track. I actually have to re-read my own to story to remember where I wanted to go with this. I am truly sorry once again, soon I promise it will be back on track.****

**Chapter 22 – New Hopes and New Ideas**

My eyes flew open in a shock and it took me a minute to remember where I was or what had even happened. It seemed like only a minute ago I was sitting with Mom on my bed almost ready to tear Dad into pieces about inviting Derek over for lunch. I had found myself day dreaming about how life would have been if Mom had chosen Jacob over Dad and I guess I had fallen asleep. I slowly rose from my bed and shook away the cobwebs from the dream. It made me wonder if that could have actually happened. Would Mom have been able to really walk away from everything she had with Dad and build a completely different life with Jacob. A normal, human life.

I jumped when I noticed that Dad was still leaning against my dresser with a tiny smile on his lips, I sighed knowing that he had seen every detail of my dream. For the moment I chose to ignore him since I knew in a matter of time Derek would be here and I would soon have to possibly explain my lineage, something I was NOT ready to do just yet. Derek and I had only known each other for a short time, already fallen in love and not to mention the wolves were threatening war over our new found love. My life had gone from planning a wedding to attempting to prevent the end of a near decade long treaty.

"Ness, you cannot place all the blame on yourself. It is a lot to take on but you are strong enough to find a way. We will find a way through this." Before I could open my mouth to protest my main reason for wanting to delay this meeting, his hand was up. "The Volturi are not apart of this conversation and do not worry about the treaty." He placed his arm around my shoulders as I relented with a sigh and laid my head on his shoulder.

Deep down he knew I was right about the Volturi, they had warned my family years ago about a human knowing the vampire secret. The odds of them discovering that one of us had once again fallen for a human but this time, the terms was slightly altered. If they did discover our 'treachery' again we would surely be destroyed without a chance to consider the alternative. An alternative that I was strongly against at the moment. It was not similar to Dad's reasons for keeping Mom human; I did not want to take away his life if he truly did not love me.

The whisper of feet on the staircase broke my train of thought as I looked up to see Mom standing in my doorway. The family cellphone enclosed in her right hand and a smile quickly spread across her face. For a minute her eyes shut and the room lapsed into silence until Dad chuckled. My eyes flashed back and forth between my parents as they shared a private joke. I waited patiently for one of them to fill me in but I grew more confused by the second. Finally Mom stepped closer to us and softly patted my head with a smile. I let out a low growl which only caused my parents to share a short laugh which only further infuriated me.

Mom softly giggled at the anger clearly present on my face and simply shook her head. "Relax sweetheart, I have some good news." I eyed my mother wearily; nothing came to mind that could be good news. My soon-to-be brokenhearted fiance' was on his way home, a war between species would spring the moment his foot touched the airport floor. Not to mention I was fighting with myself over whether to tell my true love who I and my family truly were. The soft yet cold touch of Mom's hand on my cheek calmed the worries, the fears, the doubts. "Renesmee, Jacob is not coming home anytime soon."

Not coming home? How... he said he had his flight ready and would be home sooner than I liked but, how? Mom stood there with a smile as she watched my reactions change with every second that passed by. I was speechless, how could she pull that off? For a minute it still felt as if I was asleep, dreaming of the perfect outcome but I soon realized this was real, maybe I would actually get the lucky break I was hoping for.

"Alright love, just tell her. There is no need to cause any unneeded stress for her." I smiled for once at Dad and sighed that for once we were on the same page. He rolled his eyes at my thought and we both shared a short laugh. Mom just shook her head, somewhat annoyed that her fun had been ruined but I knew she meant well. I would probably be jumping her the moment she explained how she had convinced Jacob to stay in Hawaii, leaving me time to figure out how I would handle the situation. I felt Dad slowly lower me back into a seated position onto my bed, not that I would be sitting for very long after Mom told me.

Foiling my over excitement plans, she sat next to me. She smiled once again and rested back on her elbow with a a now cocky expression, of course this would be a moment she would never let me forget. "Well after this, you owe me big time. I called Jacob and thankfully he had not left for the airport and I told him that coming home was ridiculous. I almost forgot how stubborn he can be when it comes to the woman he loves. Anyway, I explained that some of the family had decided to take you on a trip to Paris, for some special touches to the wedding. As far as he believes, you have left and won't be back until a day before the wedding." My eyes flew open with shock, this was a great idea but how would I be able to spend time with Derek. "I know this means we will have to be cautious with you out in public but, we have most of the bases covered."

How could we pull this off? Yes normally the pack rarely ventured into Forks and even with the 'engagement' the borderlines remained intact. At some point they were bound to notice my car driving around, seeing Grandpa was out since he was now with Sue, she would obviously tell them I was still here. "Mom.. I know this does save me but how can we possibly keep this story going, I am not going to be put under house arrest until Jacob returns. I refuse to relinquish any of my freedoms!" If they even considered to try and ground me, I would rebel.

"Nes we are not going to ground you. Pre-existing rules remain, you will just have to be more cautious when travelling now. For example, from now on you will be driving my car and I will hear no excuses. If you want to see Derek and have some form of a social life, you will fulfill our requirements." I could not help but laugh at Dad's parental tone. In reality he may be a hundred and whatever years old, when he played the orderly father, it always seemed like a teenager attempting to overpower their parent. The glare I was given only made me laugh even more. I calmed in a short time and simply hugged him to apologize.

Mom as usual when Dad and I shared a silent conversation just played with her fingers until should join back in. I hugged her with my thanks for saving me from a hellish end of my happiness. She repeated her reminder that I owed her big time and disappeared downstairs to start lunch. Right, I had almost forgotten about that issue for a moment. Derek was on his way and now I had refocus on deciding how and if I was going to really explain to him. I could already see his expression once he met my parents, thankfully the rest of my family had disappeared, wherever they went. I jumped when Dad placed a hand on my shoulder and my heart stuttered when I saw the look on his face. I knew then he had something he had been wanting to ask me the moment Derek walked into my life, something I knew I was not going to like.

"This may be the worst moment to bring this up but, I think you should consider this option just in case Derek cannot agree with the truth. You could go through with the wedding and.." My mouth dropped and I could not pull together one word. He was suggesting I go against my heart and settle for the man who was doing the same. I still held firm to my beliefs that Jacob was only choosing me because, I was a version of his first real love. Dad sighed and shook his head. "Are you sure? You know what the pack believes causes imprinting, how can you honestly believe that this imprinting is a second choice?" I shot him a look this was the lowest thing I had ever heard him say or suggest. Deep down I could see the real reason, he was looking out for the family and in a way; helping me to try and avoid a life identical to his with Mom.

The idea of just staying with Jacob to keep everyone happy was simply uncalled for. I loved my family and would always want the best for them but I could not ignore what was in my heart. Dad understood that but the fear of the end of our family was all to real at this point in time. A part of me did begin to wonder if choosing the 'protection' angle would be the best for my family and my life but, I could never want to deny my heart. I had loved Jacob but now he was only a friend, he was not the one I was destined to be with, magical wolf connection or not. Rethinking the imprinting factor it had me wondering; if I had broken the hold why was Jacob still madly in love with me?

This thought caused Dad to tilt his head in my direction with a mirrored expression to mine. "That is a good question. I would have assumed that the moment you lost your connection he would have as well but, it seems we are missing something." I nodded and began to ponder the reasons why, most made no sense. If Jacob knew I was not in love with him anymore there was no way he could pretend that there was nothing wrong. My parents most of all knew how Jacob took rejection. Our only option was that he believed in imprinting so much that even when it failed, his belief would still remain intact. "We can discuss it with Carlisle when he returns, I suggest you get ready since Derek will be arriving in an hour." I cast him a short glare as he softly patted my cheek before darting out of the room to join Mom downstairs. Before my mad dash to prepare myself for this horrendous visit, I took a few moments to look out the window of my bedroom and gaze out into the wilderness that edged the property of the house. Watching the trees softly blowing in the morning breeze helped to calm my racing mind, I knew this meeting would be the deciding factor in how I would progress with Derek, if he could accept my parent's stunning unnatural youth and beauty, I knew he could possibly be strong enough to handle the rest. But than, oh the decision I would have to make and if I would have the heart to make it, I knew I would but which version I was still unsure, it would all be based on how much Derek truly loved me.


	23. Derek and Renesmee

***This chapter is going to be a little confusing, I am going to be bouncing back and forth between Derek and Renesmee's point of view. I THINK this is going to be the beginning of the end. I'm still debating on how I am going to finish but I have a good idea. I'm sure you guys can guess haha, I just need to figure out the Jacob stuff and we will go from there! Enjoy and try not to be too stunned.***

**Chapter 23 – Derek and Renesmee**

The moment my phone had rung I knew this was going the way I planned. Her parents already wanted to meet me so now I knew, she wanted me. No longer did her heart belong to the pathetic Jacob, it was mine and I planned on keeping it mine. All I could think about was this girl, the almost unnatural beauty, the way she seemed almost childlike at times, how she always appeared to have wisdom beyond her age. Renesmee was the only person I could see becoming the woman I was with forever, and I planned on forever being completely true. Once I saw the faint glow of her skin and heard the racing beat of her heart, I knew all I had read was true. Even when we had our dinner date I could see her distaste for the meal but was strong enough to finish it was willing enthusiasm. All of my readings were piece by piece proving true.

Naturally when I was younger I was fascinated with the supernatural and all of their myths and legends. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, you name it I was always fighting to prove they truly existed, in our present age it was easier to show that life existed after death than it was to say that vampires or werewolves did. Although after my recent discovery of the website Vampires A-Z, I was beginning to believe that it was going to be slightly easier now. My luck had also turned more positive to prove the existence of werewolves when I overheard a group of natives who had wandered into my store a few months ago. The words 'pack', 'alpha' and even 'leeches' had caught my attention as they scanned some DVDs. The girl with a sharp mouth was the one I paid more attention to, constantly whispering how she hated how her alpha had actually proposed to a half leech, even after he had been severely hurt by its mother, a leech herself. My readings had always said that werewolves and vampires were mortal enemies. The girl's apparently brother was always hushing her saying not to be so vocal in a public place and that it was his decision, not hers.

The other two the siblings were with appeared to be keeping guard for any eavesdroppers and thankfully I was able to avoid being detected as I stocked some DVDs onto the shelf right behind them. I heard one call the girl Leah, still begging to keep her rants in control until they returned home, and she simply snapped at someone named Seth to shut up, she was not going to hold back; I assumed she either had something for this alpha or was a true leech hater at heart. Once I returned home, I began to look into local reservations and one, the Quileutes, caught my attention. They lived just outside a small town called Forks, I liked that it was near Seattle and their legends of the Cold Ones really caught my attention. I had made plans to make a visit down to the reservation and snoop around but, before I could even finalize my plans, she walked into my life.

I had seen her in my store several times before but back then I had only watched because of her beauty, never putting the pieces together. Only until I saw her with one of the natives I had seen during the alpha discussion, did I begin to believe that just maybe she would be the key to finally reaching my goal. Each time she came in, I had wanted to talk to her but she was always with someone, mainly a huge native who I figured out was Jacob, her love. That one day, only a few days ago did I finally get my chance and I never imagined I would fall in love with her. Me, Derek Nicholas Collins, would fall in love with a possible half vampire.

As I followed the exact directions given by Renesmee's father my heart pounded faster and faster, not only was I excited to see the woman I loved but, I was growing closer and closer to possibly discovering the truth. Seeing Renesmee was the best out of the two, it may have been a day since I saw her but after we discovered our love, I never wanted to be away from her. I lost my breath as I drove past the town sign, Forks, I had finally made it. It stunned me that vampires and werewolves would want to call this place home, it was dim next to Seattle but I guess when you had secrets to hide, a town like this would seem perfect. I flew through the town and soon found myself winding through this long forest framed road. The moment the trees broke and that white house appeared I knew this would be a day I would never forget.

My heart faltered for a moment as his car pulled into the clearing and came to a stop in front of the porch. He was finally here, I would finally be back into his arms and finally have a chance to feel safe and protected; for the first time since the drama had begun. All I wanted to was feel the warmth of his arms and to feel the beat of his heart as he pulled me close, than I wanted us to just fade away, disappear to a place where Jacob, the pack, the oncoming war were non-existent. A place where only Derek and I existed; our love could blossom and and we would be free. The sound of Dad clearing his throat reminded me that a dream of such magnitude would not become a reality until I decided on one tiny issue. I shot him a glare and I took my place on the couch next to Mom.

"It would be healthier for him if I opened the door you know. He might think you're my brother or something, this is not going to end well." Dad simply chuckled as he patiently waited for Derek to reach the door. I did not like that the first thing he was going to see was my seventeen year old father, I could already see the look of shock and hear his heart falter and head towards a young heart attack. Dad rolled his eyes and opened the door as Derek knocked. A huge smile spread across my face as his perfection walked into the house. It only slightly faded when Dad introduced himself and shook Derek's hand. Naturally Derek jumped at Dad's icy touch but I saw something I did not expect. A look of confirmation in his eyes. To me, it was like he had expected the coldness of his handshake, and he never appeared to question the youthfulness of my father. For a moment Dad met my eyes as he too noticed the calmness of Derek. Mom too seemed to notice but her face remained calm as Dad showed Derek into the living room with a smile. She rose as Derek neared the couch and they shared a quick hug, the entire time I waited for a sign of fear in his eyes, I never saw it.

"It is so nice to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. I am sure our relationship has caused a few problems. I know Renesmee is technically engaged." I looked away for a moment to hide my pain, I still hated that I was in a way, cheating on Jacob. The thought vanished and I realized for the moment I needed to focus on Derek, and slowly introduce him into my secret life. "I must be honest I was a little stunned when you called Mr. Cullen, I was not sure if Renesmee was going to tell you guys about me." I had turned back just in time to catch his tiny smirk in my direction, I could not help but smile. It felt so right to have him here with my parents, as if it was always meant to be, minus several complications.

Surprisingly, Dad allowed him to sit right next to me where immediately our hands were entwined with each others. I was able to finally relax now that Derek was here and with me, I watched him as his eyes wandered the open space of my home. There seemed to be a form of a confused expression in his face, as if something did not appear to be the way he expected. Deep down I was feeling that something was not right, he appeared way too calm, the way he easily greeted my parents and their quirks, there was something about him at this moment that seemed all too familiar. I saw his eyes flicker to my hands and relief spread across his face to see that my engagement ring was not in its usual place. For now since I had spent most of my time in the house, it had been placed in my jewelry box; until I needed it for public appearances.

"First off Derek, there is no need for formality. You can call me Bella and Edward is the same. Yes we are a little stunned at this relationship but to be honest, I am happy my daughter has found true love." Mom softly stroked my hair which for the occasion I had straightened so it hung flat against my back, ending just above the small of my back. She placed her hand onto mine and slightly jumped as I replayed Derek's entrance, allowing her to see the worry I had over his acceptance of their outward appearances. Mom nodded and slowly rose from the couch, I knew she always hated having to act human, she loved the efficiency of vampire speed. "I am going to check on lunch, it should be ready soon. Renesmee, why don't you show Derek around the house and I will call you when its ready." She disappeared into the kitchen at her annoying human speed.

Dad made an excuse of having to assist her with the cooking and he too headed for the kitchen, as he passed he patted my shoulder and gave me a look to refrain from explaining our history for now. Once my parents were gone, Derek and I rose from the couch and I gave him a tour of the three floors of our home. As we stepped into my room which was formally Alice's room, Derek wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss on my lips. "I have been waiting forever to do that." I giggled and we spent several minutes reintroducing our lips to each other. I sadly pulled away and smiled, it was never smart kissing my boyfriend like that with my vampire parents only a couple floors below. "Sorry I just missed you so much. Your parents are really nice, and wow they look amazing for their age. I hope you are blessed with that beauty when we reach that age."

I blushed at the thought of 'growing old' with Derek, a thought I already knew would be impossible but it would be wonderful to become a happy old couple, sitting on our porch as grandchildren ran about the front yard. "Lets get through today before we really start planning for the future. I still want to hurt Dad for doing this. I was hoping I was going to get a few days before I would tell them about you, sometimes it sucks being so close with them, you can never keep secrets." The smirk I received from Derek seemed a little odd, he seemed to find the word secrets almost funny; I still tried to understand how he seemed so calm about the meeting. I had expected the tour would be his chance to question their youth, their temperature and just everything about them.

"Can't wait to see what Bella made for lunch I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast, I bet she is an amazing cook. Where is the rest of your family, I thought you said they had come for a visit? Would have been nice to meet them too, oh well guess I have lots of time for that." I was really beginning to worry about his attitude, it was not right for someone who had just stepped into a house of vampires. The way he acted was starting to remind me of how Dad said Mom used to act when she was human and discovered who he truly was but there was no way Derek could know about vampires. It was only a well known secret in Forks, or was it?

This was everything I could have dreamed of and more! I was in a house filled with real living vampires, and I was dating their daughter. I knew it the moment I shook hands with Edward, the coldness of his hand, how he appeared to be way younger than he claimed to be. Everything about him and his wife screamed vampire, I had finally found my proof. Deep down though I felt shameful, I knew I was leading Renesmee on by allowing her to think I was clueless to her true form. I knew maybe after today I would be able to tell her that I knew who she and her family were and hopefully they would accept me and allow me to join them. I wanted to be with her forever and becoming a vampire was the best way.

The sound of a plate crashing downstairs caused us both to jump, Renesmee's eyes shot open with shock as she seemed to have heard something I didn't. I was a little stunned to hear a plate crash, I had thought vampires were very quick and dropping a plate seemed a little strange for them. "Uh Derek I think I should go check on my parents, hopefully there were no injuries." She hurried out of the room and I glanced around her room. I was tempted to sneak to the stairs and eavesdrop on their conversation, maybe it would help to clearly confirm my belief that they were who I knew they were. I decided to resist temptation and took a chance to possibly get a better look into Renesmee's life, snooping through her bedroom seemed like the perfect way. It was a slightly shameful to snoop through her room but I did have the right to know if she was hiding anything from me.

Downstairs I swore I heard a growl but it I just shrugged it off since I figured they were probably too busy cleaning up the mess. I wandered over to her computer desk and began to glance through the vast amounts of pictures. Most made my stomach curl, since they were of Rene and Jacob, I almost wanted to turn them down but I knew that was her decision, not mine. Some were of her as she grew up, it amazed me to see how beautiful she had always been. I could see so much of Bella in her, the only pieces of Edward was the same strange shade of bronze hair and some facial expressions. They seemed to be a happy family, though I began to wonder how she was born, I thought vampires were immortal almost frozen in time, so how could she been born if her parents were frozen as most likely teenagers. I just locked away that question for whenever Rene would open up to me.

The rest of the pictures were of Rene and her other family members, one though did scare me, he was huge! Rene had yet to really tell me about the rest of her family, I knew they were in town from our last conversation but I guessed they had taken off so I could get to know the parents. I knew the family was not exactly related but I knew they were all the same from the strange topaz like color of their eyes. The vampires I had seen in movies always had either black or red eyes from the blood but I guess Hollywood never really followed the rules.

I wandered away from the desk and glanced around her room, the bed was huge but beautiful, wrought iron bed posts with vines and roses, I noticed that one had been broken off, superhuman strength must be wonderful. I sat on the edge of the bed and just looked around, nothing about this place screamed vampire. It seemed like a normal family lived here, a little big for only three people but I figured the others came to visit often. Renesmee was suddenly in the doorway and I slightly jumped at her speed but it only made me smile. The smile faded quickly once I saw the look on her face, something was not right, she no longer had the huge smile, it was replaced with a mix of nervousness and worry. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that face, I knew whatever she had to say was not going to be very good for the two of us. She sighed and looked down at her feet for a moment before clearing her throat. "Derek, why don't we take a walk while my parents are finishing up."


	24. The Truth

***Back to normal haha. Its all Nessie again, this is the big chapter :) Well one of the big chapters.***

**Chapter 24 – The Truth**

Sometimes I wished I had been blessed with Dad's gift of reading minds, I would love to know what was going through his mind right now. Guess this is how Dad feels when Mom has her shield up, very frustrating. I refocused my mind onto what was at hand. I now knew why Derek had seemed so at ease when he met my parents, why the coldness of their skin did not scare him. He knew. All this time he knew I was not a normal person, he knew that I was a half vampire and that my family was all vampires as well. I felt like I was going to faint when Dad told me what he had heard in Derek's mind when we were upstairs. The plate falling to the floor was a dead giveaway that something was not right. The last time one of us had dropped a glass object, the Volturi knew of me and believed I was an immortal child; and had planned to end me and my family. This time though, it was not as bad but pretty dangerous for us nonetheless. A human knew what we were and we refused to make the same mistakes or errors as they did with Mom. I would have to change Derek or he would have to die.

We silently walked downstairs and out into the garage. I did not want to be too far from the house in case I would need my parent's help. I smiled just a bit as I watched his eyes pop out of his head when he saw the Ferrari and Vanquish. Naturally a male would freak out over cars like this, I shared Mom's view on running, we loved to just go out and run through the forest. Our chance to clear our heads and have a wonderful time together. What I wouldn't give for one of our mother-daughter runs through the forest. Those runs meant to me, I could really open up to Mom without the worry of anyone else finding out, it was our precious time. My attention returned to Derek who was almost drooling over Mom's car; I simply rolled my eyes and leaned against the front end of my Guardian. This talk was going to be delayed for a moment while Derek experienced a testosterone overload. His hand slowly and quite unsteadily hovered over the front of the Turbo. It was almost guys tried to absorb any special power from being so close to this brand of car. At this point in time I treasured being a woman, fashion shows, designer labels, now those things I could get excited over.

I could just catch the sound of Dad impatiently clearing his throat which had me once again rolling my eyes. 'Patience oh hovering one' was my returning thought which was returned by a soft chuckle from him, I smiled and pushed myself off the car. Derek had moved to absorb the mystic power from the Vanquish and slightly jumped when I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright macho man, no drool on the car if you please." We shared a laugh and with some effort I was able to move him from the drool worthy cars and into the passenger seat of my car. "Listen.. I we need to talk." My body was turned in the drivers seat so I could face him directly but still, my eyes were focused on the glove box. Yes he knew what my family was but what he now didn't know, was the consequences. I finally was able to pull my head up to meet his worried and slightly fearful expression. Now the mind-reading ability would become quite helpful.

"Talk about what? This is not the you chose Jacob over me conversation is it? I honestly do not know how you could choose him over me. So what if he puts a big rock on your finger, the way you talked about him when we met, I never got the impression you truly love or loved him." My mouth nearly fell open at the way he had begun to accuse me for attempting to break everything off. My hands slightly began to tremble as I began to glare. How dare he think this. "I can tell by your expression I must be right, you can end it with me Rene, but I will not just walk away. I will fight for you."

I slammed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw as I pictured how that fight would end, not well. I knew Derek would be killed before he even knew what happened; I shuddered just at the thought of losing him. Ideas of what I would do after attempted to enter my head but I fought them away knowing there would be two very angry vampires standing in front of the car before the thoughts were finished. I slowly opened my eyes and exhaled as Derek continued to stare at me. "No... Just no Derek, no talking of fighting, breaking up, nothing. You just listen and you can add you two cents when I am finished." The tone of my voice was too harsh but I needed to get this over with because now I knew there was more than a relationship at stake. Dealing with Jacob could wait, the life of the man I loved now hung on a very delicate balance. Either he was to become like my family or, I refused to imagine him in the alternative.

"Derek.. I... There was something I had been dreading to tell you, I was told to wait and see if this thing between us was going to be a phase or something more. I know its something more and I did not know how to tell you because I knew it would bring more than just the end of my engagement but, the possible end of so many things for you." I silently cursed, why did I have to dealt these cards. My parents had, had it moderately easier with her discovering his true self. Minus the fact Mom's life was threatened almost everyday but, this was ten times more complicated. He knew, I knew that he knew and now I had to lay the toughest decision upon him. "Listen, you know how my parents look a little young for their age and that... no this is not right."

If he was worried before he was beyond confused now. How was I going to tell him? The idea of just coming out with it seemed easy but I still did not know how he would react. I shook my head and looked him straight in the eyes. "Derek, I know you know that my family and I are vampires."


	25. Complex Is An Understatement

***Sorry for the delay once again. I've been working like a fiend these past few weeks, by the time I get home I am so tired I just want to sleep and rarely want to write. I'm so sorry guys, I'm sure I've lost a lot of readers, but I'm going to try and finish the story in the next couple days. Hope you like :)***

**Chapter 25 – Complex Is An Understatement**

The following days after revealing ourselves to Derek had been quite eventful. The rest of the family returned the next day and were not surprised when Derek greeted them as if he had known them for many years. I had taken the time to call Alice to fill her in on the details of what happened while they were hunting. After the big reveal, the two of us, along with my parents had sat down to discuss the large problem that now lay ahead of us. Derek learned of the treaty and the main rule that bound us, he was disappointed but was not discouraged with his possible future plans of becoming one of them. I was still stunned as how similar my life was following the same paths as Mom when she entered the world of the Cullens. In a way though, I was pleased to see what the outcome if both Derek and I had our way.

After the difficult conversation and the meeting of my family, Derek and I were almost free. We agreed to stay within the boundary lines and never completely alone. A member of the family was always hanging around to keep an eye on us, not much time for romance. It never really seemed to bother Derek, he took an immediate liking to Carlisle, who he spent a lot of time with learning of our history and the ways of life for a vampire, much to our dismay. At the moment we had not officially agreed on whether it was right for him to be changed. This was a different scenario than when Mom was changed, he did not have an axe constantly hanging over his head, and the Volturi was still unaware of another human knowing the vampire secret. Hence Alice was keeping an eye just in case.

The days seemed to speed by faster then I would have liked. Two weeks passed by and Jacob's return drew closer and closer. I forced myself to keep in contact with Seth to insure that the packs were not planning an impending attack. Thankfully he had kept his word and Jacob was still in the dark, leaving me to do the dirty work when he returned. On a happier note, I had been introduced to Derek's mother and younger sister a week ago and immediately loved them. His father, Tony had died a few years back from cancer and from how they described him, I knew I would have loved him too. Lisa, his wonderful mother took to me right away, she was so pleased to see her son happy and in love. I could see so much of her in Derek, the kind eyes the most. His younger sister Amy was a joy to be around, for eleven year old, she was very smart. If I could have children, I wanted my daughter to be just like her.

"When Daddy died, Derek kind of took his place. I was only eight when he died and sometimes Derek has become like a father figure for me. I'm so happy he found you, he never seemed quite right after Daddy died. Now he is always smiling, I hope you are always around Rene. You're like the sister I never had." Her words tugged at my heart, this family had already lost Tony and possibly soon Derek as well, but not to a disease. To a new life of his choosing; sometimes I wished he had never learned of my secret. I hated to see this family broken once again, they still needed Derek around. "Hey Rene, I hope you can come to my recital next week. I have my first flute solo, I have been practicing so hard."

Next week... Jacob was coming home next week. Would I still be in the area when her recital took place? I smiled down at her while we rested on a bench in a park near their apartment. "We'll see Amy, my family has some stuff coming up next week so I'm not sure I'll be in town but I will try." She smiled and hugged me before we rose to continue our walk. This was another time I wished I was fully human, so I would never have to worry about leaving people I loved in order to protect them.

As the evening approached I found myself alone on the balcony of their apartment alone with my thoughts. Amy's words still stung my heart as I thought about this family once again losing another loved one. How could I force him to leave them just so he could be with me? The next few years would not be difficult because we could still bank on our young looks; his family would not really notice any minor differences, minus the new golden eye color. As I listened in on Lisa chatting with Amy in the kitchen, I fought back tears. I loved Derek but now I truly understood the sacrifice Mom had made when she entered this life. This was the first time in a while I began to ponder whether Jacob was truly the right choice for me.

I was startled by the buzzing of my phone and with a glance at the screen I sighed as I placed it to my ear. "Hi Dad." His soft chuckle brought a smile to my face. I may not possess his capabilities but I could always sense what he had meant to say. Our life was a complicated one, dealing with various difficult decisions, consequences and heart ache. The main point he was ready to make was that Derek was like Mom, this was his decision and he was willing to anything for us to be together. I had inherited Dad's ability to over worry and make rash decisions. I needed to just step back and focus my attention on the Jacob situation.

"Well you are almost right, I was going to briefly speak on the Derek, Jacob thing. You just missed my good news, you are being released from twenty-four hour protection for the night. We gave Derek permission to take you out for the night so come home, get ready and enjoy yourself. Leave the worrying to me." He hung up before I could question this sudden freedom. I shook my head and said my goodbyes to the girls before making the drive home. The entire ride was spent wondering how Derek had convinced my family to release the chains for the night.

I was home and dressed by the time Derek called to say he was on his way. There was a nervousness in his voice, I found it strange because his voice was usually bouncing with excitement to see me. It caught me off guard but I brushed it aside knowing that I would be with him in a short amount of time. As I descended into the living room, Mom and Alice exchanged a secret smile which had me wondering what they could possibly be planning. Alice bounced up and flitted to my side to assess my outfit and with a flash of a smile she patted my shoulder and danced into the kitchen. I shot a look at Mom who simply giggled and shrugged with the usual 'Alice will be Alice' attitude. I took a seat next to her as she returned to reading her very weathered copy of Wuthering Heights. I rested my head on her shoulder and placed my hand on her thigh. She jumped as she saw my continuous worries of what would be happening in the next week.

"Renesmee, for once forget Jacob. Tonight we are giving you a chance to just enjoy time with Derek, please just relax. Alice is watching the Volturi and Seth has kept his promise of not telling Jacob about this new relationship. We will be leaving for Denali the day after Jacob returns, just enjoy Forks while we are here." Her eyes lowered from the page as the realization of leaving Forks for good sank in. The family had stayed longer than we should have, all for Grandpa. I was his only grandchild and he deserved to see me grow up, quite fast but at least he was there for me. Now it was our time, we could not stay after I broke up with Jacob; the danger was too great for us now.

I softly stroked Mom's hair to try to remind that I too was sad about leaving Grandpa. We had already planned for him to come up and see us the week after we moved to Denali. The sound of car tires on the road caught my attention and I leaped from my seat, kissed Mom on the cheek and dashed out onto the porch. It seemed like hours until I saw his car pull into the clearing. The moment the car came to a stop, I was in the passenger seat and my lips were to his. The kiss was brief but intense, we drove away from the house beaming with excitement. I was expecting a nice restaurant and maybe a trip to the beach for a walk in the moonlight, I was wrong. To my surprise Derek made his way towards the meadow, a place where both my parents and I went with our loved one for peace and romance. His car was parked in the usual place and soon we began the hike through the woods; the hike was slow since we took breaks to steal a kiss or two. We shared the events of our day and even though I questioned how he managed to convince my family to relent on the constant supervision he simply smiled and said he was very persuasive.

My breath caught in my chest as we broke into the meadow. There in the centre of the meadow sat a romantic picnic for two. Candles surrounded the blanket and to my surprise, dinner was already in place. As I turned to look at Derek he was smiling and held me close. "I asked Alice and Esme to sneak up here." So that is why Alice was so excited, I should have known the two of them would have had a hand in this. As we took a seat on the soft red and white checkered blanket I gazed in wonder at the meal that had been prepared. Chicken caesar salad, homemade bread sticks, bottle of Cristal champagne and for desert my favorite, lemon meringue pie. Just behind us sat a CD player which was playing Clair de Lune but I noticed a difference in the tone, it was just how Dad played it. I was touched by how much work had gone into this but now, I wondered the meaning behind this romantic dinner.

After dinner was finished, I curled into his arms and gazed up at the stars. This night could not get any better, I was happy just to be with Derek alone. This was one of the last days that I would be with him; since we were moving to Denali, I knew our time together was precious. "Rene, I need to ask you something, I know its sudden but I need to do this now before you leave for Denali." I slowly rose up from his arms and looked towards him, my mouth was set in a thin line now worrying what he wanted to ask.

His eyes fell to his hands as he nervously rubbed them together, he took a deep breath and returned to my anxious gaze. My heart began to race even faster as my mind began to develop ideas as to why he would be so nervous. Anything could be running through his mind, was he giving me up now that he knew vampires existed; or was he thinking of making this night we finally submitted to our desires? I too began to worry, I still was not sure if I was ready for this. Jacob and I had talked and nearly come close a few times but I was usually stopped by my family. But now... we were truly alone; for once Alice was not monitoring my every move, there was no family hiding in the shadows, we were alone. "What is it Derek, you know you can ask me anything."

I began to gnaw on my lower lip as he slipped a hand into his pocket, already anticipating what I believed was in there. My mouth nearly dropped when a black velvet box was sitting in his now open hand. My eyes shot up to his face as he slowly opened the lid to reveal a beautiful four carat emerald cut diamond ring in a white gold setting. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, will you be my wife? I know our relationship has been rushed and I know what marrying you entails but I love you. You are my life, my everything; I will do anything to be with you forever. Marry me."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the ring. How could this be happening now? Jacob was returning in a week and he was asking me to marry him now. My heart was screaming to say yes and I wanted to but I was worried what would happen if Seth found out; I doubt he would keep his promise then. His eyes bore into me as he waited for an answer. I could not say yes, how could I? I opened my mouth to decline but something clicked inside me. I realized this was perfect, if my family accepted changing him, I would have him forever. Maybe there would be children, maybe not. We could be together forever, Jacob offered the same thing but this felt more natural. "Yes, Derek I will marry you!"


	26. The Toughest Decision

***Okay so I decided to this from Derek's perspective. This is almost the end, I actually have the second last chapter almost finished before I even finished this one. I'm still trying to decide how I'm going to end this. Hope you like :)***

**Chapter 26 – The Toughest Decision**

The days after proposing to Renesmee seemed to fly by as a blur. After we returned to her house that night, her family was overjoyed about the engagement but we agreed to keep it quiet until Jacob returned. It pained me to see the ring have to stay in the box until after the news was broken to Jacob; Rene promised to keep on her always until she could finally place it where the ring belonged. Naturally now that she had accepted to marry me, another subject was brought up; my transformation. I had learned from Carlisle that the Volturi were strongly against a human knowing the vampire secret and from the stories of when Bella was a human, I knew this was dangerous for the family. For one, Renesmee was still unsure if changing me was the smartest move. She had inherited her father's beliefs that a human's life was precious and that it was selfish to for me to turned just so we could be together forever.

"I cannot let you just leave your family for me, you already lost your father. How can I ask you to allow them to lose you just for me. It was different for Mom, the Volturi knew about her being human and being pregnant with me did not help either." Her eyes shifted towards the front door as Bella stepped onto the porch, a solemn expression on her face. Before I could even open my mouth, Rene disappeared into the house as Bella placed a hand on my shoulder. She softly smiled but the smile did not reach her eyes, they seemed to be almost frozen with sadness. Just by looking into those topaz eyes, I knew why she was here. Edward had already given me this lecture but to me, it was a one sided conversation. He was happy that Renesmee was with me and finally free of Jacob but he was once again stuck in the position of changing someone. It had been a personal request of Renesmee since she was unable to change me herself.

Bella gently squeezed my shoulder since she could tell exactly what was troubling me, the topic of me becoming a vampire was a very prominent conversation in the household; next to our upcoming wedding. It had been decided that we would be married the week after Jacob returned, right after the family would be moving to Denali. The wedding was less nerve-racking then the fact I could be a vampire in such a short time, it was already fully planned all that was changing was the groom. We had moved the date to later since the family was being cautious since we had no idea how the wolves would react once Renesmee broke the news.

"Derek, you really need to think about changing. I know you love my daughter and want to be with her forever but it is a hard price to pay. I was lucky that the family risked everything to stay here so I could still see my father. This is different, this engagement will forever end the truce between us and the pack. We will never be able to return once you and Renesmee marry; we are making a big sacrifice. I hope you understand that." My hand gripped the railing as her words sank in, I was the reason that Bella was saying goodbye to her father and everything she was comfortable with. Part of me wanted to say the family could leave, Rene and I could stay and start our own life. Then I would remember that taking her away from the Cullens would be worse then losing her to a werewolf. "I've been where you now stand. I hate to be leaving Forks but I would do anything so my daughter can have her own happiness, I nearly died to protect her once and I will do it again."

I finally turned to look Bella right in the eyes; they had now become topaz flames. The thought of Renesmee being harmed erupted an eternal flame, the kind that any mother had for their child. It made my heart ache knowing how much pain my need to be with Rene was putting her in. "Bella I feel horrible for doing this but I love her with everything I have. You changed for Edward and you still have everything. I cannot bare to even think that in maybe eighty years I will wither and die, while she will live forever, always mourning my death. You are the one person to completely understand how I feel, I hate to make you say goodbye to your father but you will able to be there until the very end. Please, it is all I am asking." I lowered my head feeling pathetic for nearly begging to be changed. Begging seemed to be my only option now since, the family was torn over the subject.

For a moment Bella stayed silent and when I finally raised my head to look towards her, her eyes were shut and she seemed highly concentrated. The look was familiar to me now, I had learned of all the family's abilities and from the look, I could tell she was raising her mental shield to share her thoughts with Edward. I almost expected to see Edward appear at her side within moments but we remained alone. As her eyes opened she seemed less troubled and finally smiled. "I am going to ask one thing of you before the decision is made. For the remainder of the week, I ask that you spend time with your family and human friends. To give you time to truly decide on whether you want to be a vampire or not. The only contact with Renesmee will be by phone. I want you to immerse yourself in the human world to truly see if you are ready to leave. You must remember that if you change, you will have to say goodbye to your family. This is all I ask of you before the wedding, will you do this Derek?"

I could feel the blood draining from my face as Bella looked upon me. She seemed so calm as she asked this one thing from me. Why would she spring this on me now? Jacob was returning in such a short time; he had called earlier today to remind Renesmee of what time he plane was arriving in Seattle. We knew that the moment his flight touched down, he would be on his way here to see his bride-to-be. We had a short time together before the peace was broken by the end of the peace between wolf and vampire, how could I stay away from Renesmee for so long. "This not just to see if I am truly fit to become a vampire is it? You are testing me to see if I really love Renesmee. To see if I am willing to give up my family, my friends and everything I know, just for her" I folded my arms across my chest as I stared at the vampire mother with a smirk upon my face. I was no mere stupid human, I understood the hidden meaning in this request. It was almost as if Bella was not willing for her daughter to follow in her own footsteps.

"Very clever Derek but you should know I mean the best. I am not against you marrying my daughter or even you becoming a vampire. I am looking out for you, I know the sacrifices you have to make and I want to make sure you are ready. We are not saying you will never be a vampire, you can stay human for a few years until you are absolutely sure." I held up my hand as I shook my head, I knew this was Edward coming out in her. I was almost expecting her to say I needed to do everything human I could before I made my decision.

We stood in silence for a few minutes as I thought about her request. Spending my last days as a human with my mom and sister would be perfect. They both were not too happy with my upcoming marriage but deep down I knew they were happy I found that special someone. I started to wonder if they really could handle themselves without me. Amy was so young and losing Dad really hurt her, I was that rock she needed to get through the loss. Mom on the other hand was doing much better, she had been dating someone for the last six months and she was happy. The question was, were they really ready to say goodbye to another member of the family. It was not a forever goodbye, I would be able to keep in touch but from what I had learned from Carlisle, I would be unable to visit them in person for quite sometime. The life of a newborn was dangerous, all they ever thought about was blood. I silently hoped I would be just like Bella, able to skip the newborn phase but I knew that would be impossible. Bella, as most of the family said, had almost been born to be a vampire. Even though I had dived into research of vampires and such, I knew it would not help once the venom sealed my fate.

This was a decision I could not make lightly, I did want to be with her forever and if that meant losing a true human life; I was almost sure I could make it. If I did become a vampire, I would miss out watching Amy grow into a strong, independent woman. I would not be there when she brought home her first boyfriend, be there for any questions she felt too embarrassed to ask Mom. I'd never be there when she graduated high school or college; I'd miss out on her wedding, children and just Amy completely. I took a deep breath before looking towards Bella. "I will do what you ask Bella, thank you for giving me a chance."


	27. The Breaking Point

***Okay, here is the chapter redone. It is a little different then how I had the first one, I decided to switch up just a bit. I wanted to add a little darkness to this story. Don't worry this will not last for long, everyone has their breaking point and I decided to let Renesmee snap, so speaking haha. Still not sure if I got Rosalie down right I never really paid attention to how she was written, hope I did a good job. Everything will go back to normal I swear, I'm working on the BIG chapter while I work on this one. Hope you like it. :) ***

**Chapter 27: The Breaking Point**

I had paced back and forth in the kitchen while Mom stood outside with Derek; it made me nervous, too nervous. The look firmly placed on Dad's face as he stared into the living room was not helping. He knew something, every time I even tried to ask I was met with a hand to silence any further words. I could have been rebellious and listened in, which would have been no problem for me. I decided against that idea once Dad's eyes left their place to turn to my face. The silent warning was enough to cancel any further thoughts to eavesdrop. I hated not knowing what Mom was filling his head with; deep down I knew she would never attempt to drive him away, there was still something behind her calm exterior as she stepped onto the porch. My pacing increased as the minutes dragged on, how I wished they would come back inside so I could have him next to me again. I was his destiny, I should be allowed to be apart of this conversation. We made decisions together now! I was to be his wife, once this Jacob issue was finally put aside.

"Ness, please sit down. If you wear a hole in the floor Esme will have your head." Humor was not what I needed at this moment, I wanted Derek back in my arms. He softly chuckled as I chose to lean against the counter. The smile faded as his eyes once again returned to the living room as the sound of a closing car door filled my ears. I rushed to the door to see Derek's car driving down the road quickly out of my view. Seconds passed without the beat of my heart filling my ears; I felt numb as I gripped the door knob; it rattled as I shook. Dad softly pried my hand from the knob and guided me to the couch; my eyes now remained fixed upon my mother's face. It was calm yet I saw the sadness in her eyes. The worry of her driving him off slowly began to creep into my mind, how could she do that? Had she told him her transformation story, scared him away by the visions of the pain he would have to endure? "Your mother did no such thing. Please listen to what she has to say, this is the best for the two of you."

My eyes never left her face even for a moment. The worry was quickly replaced with anger as I pondered what she could have done. Mother had not driven Derek away but he was still not with me, there was something in her eyes that hid it; all I needed was I the explanation. She slowly took a seat next to me and placed a hand on my leg. I could already feel the guilt emanating from her. "What I did, I did because I love you and do not want to see you hurt in anyway. I asked Derek to spend the rest of the week with his family and human friends. To give him time to decide on his own whether this is the right path for him to take." The emotions I felt were almost unexplainable. I felt betrayal, anger, sadness, worry; betrayal was the strongest and for once I hated my mother. This was an act I never believed she would be capable of doing. It was as if she never wanted me to be happy, to be stuck as a second love for a man I never truly wanted or loved.

This was one moment I was thankful the rest of the family had decided to take a day trip to Seattle. With Jasper around, I would never have been able to fully accept my emotions. It took half a second before I realized I was standing on my feet; glaring down at my mother. My body shook violently, it felt as if for a moment I was part werewolf over vampire; preparing to shift into a more dangerous, unpredictable version of myself. I could barely feel Dad's hands pressed firmly on my shoulders; attempting to hold back the anger. Mother's face was of pure shock and fear, this was a side of me that had never been shown. Yes, I had, had my moments where I was angry at my parents and wanted to express but before I could even utter one syllable, Jasper would have me calmed and forget why I had even been mad. This time, it was just the three of us, no help, just us. In a way, I could feel this was finally the chance I had always dreamed of, a chance to unleash any and all pent up feelings I had stored over the last couple of weeks. Nothing would stand in my way today, I would no longer be held back from expressing my true feelings anymore, I had suffered that reality for too long and would no longer allow any such act.

"You hypocritical coward! How dare you go behind my back and force Derek to agree to such terms. I cannot believe a mother would do such a thing to a daughter she claimed to love with all of her heart. What heart? It ceased to beat years ago; I wonder how it is even possible for you to even love. You sicken me. I am in the same place you were in many years ago yet it was perfectly acceptable for you to go through with exactly what you wanted, what makes it so different? Right, nothing is wrong with what Bella decides to do. Fine I see the truth, you are the definition of a cold hearted woman." I ripped myself from Dad's grasp and stormed from the house. I could not stand to be in the same room as the woman who was dead set on keeping my life in her hands. As the front door slammed behind me I could hear my father scream my name as I flew down the steps towards the woods, I needed to be far from that place for as long as I could possibly be.

The trees blew past me as I ran, I had no destination for the moment I just needed to run. If needed be I would run straight to Derek and we would be gone. We go anywhere we wanted and never return to the Cullens. I would find another vampire to change him and we would be together forever and never have to look back. Our lives would be perfect, free and peaceful. They could deal with the wolves on their own and I would never care. I finally stopped and found myself at the meadow. The perfect place I needed to be, far away from my problems and alone to collect myself. I collapsed against a tree and curled into a ball as the tears washed over me. I hated my mother.

Hours passed and I remained curled up as I cried, the pent up aggression and sadness slowly absorbed into the dirt and I soon rose from my spot and rested my head against the trunk. To my surprise I felt no guilt over what I had said to Bella, she deserved those words. She had brought them on herself by pushing Derek to consider his mortality, it was unfair and I would not stand for her holding me back from true happiness. I did not care that she was trying to avoid the same outcome she had dealt with when she was turned, this situation was different she had not been forced to love someone; I had been. Forced to be with a man who deep down wished I was someone else, I would never go back to that Renesmee and no one would ever bring her back, she was dead.

My attention was directed towards the other side of the meadow when a stick was broken; I rose to my feet and curled into a position to attack. I did not care whether it was human or not, I was ready to tear it apart. It stunned me to see Rosalie enter the meadow her hands held up to show she was there in peace, I remained in my defensive position. "Ness relax. I am here to talk and I am not leaving until you listen and you will listen." My eyes breezed through the woods; behind her and somewhere I knew Emmett stood waiting, if I ran he would have me pinned before I got too far. I slowly rose from my position and folded my arms against my chest, nothing she said would change my mind. I would marry Derek whether my parents accepted the marriage and transformation of Derek or not.

"Make it quick Rose, I have better things to do." For a brief second she was stunned and froze in her place, this was a side she never saw from me but naturally she was not deterred. I remained still as she stopped only a foot from where I stood, her eyes narrowed for a second as she took in the sight of the new Renesmee. My head was held high showing my proud new image, a defiant smirk was firmly placed on my face as she placed a hand on her hip with a sigh. It was easy to see she was not amused with my recent actions it still stunned me to see this was the one the family elected to send as the peacemaker. Several small twigs cracked from the trees on the opposite side of the meadow where I knew Emmett was rocking on his toes ready to pounce, if the moment came. His mind must be racing as he watched the scene, hoping he would not have to take down his niece if I decided to lash out. Rosalie glanced over her shoulder for a second and narrowed her eyes for a moment as she shook her head; telling Emmett to settle and allow her to complete her mission.

Once her eyes returned to mine I saw something I rarely saw in her eyes, compassion. Rosalie was a complex woman, I sometimes wished I had been given her strength, hard headed determination and her freedom. I jumped when she placed on a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "It scares me how much you are like Bella. That same stubborn one track mind. You still went a little overboard today but I can understand why. I did the same when I entered this world the way I did; I needed closure and I did my own way. The wrong way but how I felt it needed to be done." I stepped back as I looked towards her, I knew what had happened to Rosalie during her last day as a human and it killed me to know that was how she left that world. "If I wanted to, I could have blamed my mother for what happened. She was the one who pushed Royce and I to be together, the one who believed he was the perfect one for me." Rosalie looked over her shoulder once more to where Emmett remained hidden by the forest, it was easy to feel the love between them, the same I felt for Derek. A love that would never end, they would have each other forever and I hoped Derek and I would be just as lucky.

"I had a similar conversation with Bella when had decided on becoming a vampire. It is never a light decision and she had been lucky, she could choose whether to remain human or not; a choice you and I never had. Derek has that same choice and that is why Bella made the agreement with him. She wants him to truly think if this is what he wants, we know how much you love each other and that will never change. This time around, there are dire consequences to your actions." I slowly nodded and sighed as I felt the newest form of Renesmee crumble. She was right, once Jacob returned our lives in Forks would be over, never able to return again. Forever banned from the only place I called home, away from my grandfather and everything I had ever known. I broke down, tears flowed from my eyes as I leaned against Rose for support. Emmett was at our sides in an instant to softly stroke my hair, in a way I was their child too. Both had fought for my life while Mom was pregnant with me and cared for me during her transformation.

Once tears stopped and I was calm, I realized it was time to return home where I knew, I faced a very strained reunion with my mother; along with a tense conversation with Dad. Emmett could sense how nervous I had become as we made our way through the forest. "Relax, Edward promised me he would be sensible when we brought you home, he is more worried of you being out alone over a fight with Bella." I forced a smile while I still worried over what may happen once I stepped foot inside the house, it was one time I would be thankful Jasper would be home. Before I would have liked, the house came into view and I slowed my pace, Rose sighed and slowed to match my stride as Emmett continued ahead to announce our arrival.

"Nothing bad is going to happen. When we got home they were beside themselves with worry, the fight was the last thing on their minds. Next time you decide to break down and run away; save it for a time we don't have a pack of dogs after our heads." The old Rose was back, the softer more gentle side had vanished as quick as it had appeared but I would forever be grateful for what she had done. Rosalie had saved me from making a decision I would regret for the rest of my existence. I would forever be in debt to her and I knew she would never let me forget it, but I was thankful. I smiled and patted her shoulder and raced ahead, suddenly excited to get home to see my parents; to finally make amends with Mom and prepare for the longest night of my life.


	28. The Moments We Cherish

***Alright people, this is almost the beginning of the end. I have decided how many chapters I want and after this one, only two more to go. Chapter 29 is already done :D I will have it up probably tomorrow, want to allow you guys to have some time to read 28 and get excited. I'm still lost for 30 but I am sure I will be hit by inspiration pretty soon :) ***

**Chapter 28 – The Moments We Cherish**

My eyes fought to stay open as I curled into Mom while we sat on the couch; it was nearly four in the morning and we had remained in the same spot since I returned. When I stepped back into the house, her arms were instantly around me and there we cried. No tears flowed from her but I shed enough for the two of us; Dad softly stroked my hair and whispered he was happy I was home. The kindness stunned me for a moment, I knew he promised Emmett to be gentle but I could still sense an attack of sorts later on. He chuckled softly and kissed my head before ushering out the family out of the living room into the backyard; finally giving us the peace we needed to talk through our problems. It surprised me as how easily she had forgiven me even after what I had said, the feeling of guilt swarmed over me as we took our seats, her arm still curled around me.

"Before you begin your apologetic speech and beg for my forgiveness I want to tell you now, it is not needed. I understand why you acted out; you have been so stressed with Jacob, the threat from the pack , us having to leave and now Derek's possible transformation. You finally blew, it is alright Ness; in the end you will make the right decision as will he." Her arm curled me closer and wiped away the remaining tears, it pissed me off at how understanding and forgiving she could be. I was still expecting her to snap and scream at how ungrateful I had been and how my words were uncalled for and how I was grounded, something to show I had done wrong. I got nothing but love from her, a habit she picked up from Dad. Even when she kissed Jacob in an attempt to convince him from diving in the newborn fight, he forgave her instantly. Instant forgiveness was a well known part of our family. "I know I should have spoken to you before I asked Derek but with the time frame we have, it had to be done quickly."

All I could do was nod since now I knew she was right, we only had a few days left before Jacob returned and still many decisions to make. It was hard that I had to make many of them without Derek by my side but I knew I could handle it, I think. I looked to Mom who squeezed me closer for a second and smiled, both of us loving being able to put the argument behind us so we could be able to face the oncoming storm together. I now realized that I would never be able to face this battle without my mother by my side, she had already dealt with the troubles that faced a with a human love interest, her knowledge was the important key. "I love you Mom. I feel terrible for what I said but I thought you were trying to push Derek away so I would choose someone I was not happy with. I overreacted and nearly lost more than I could ever dream of." She simply smiled and kissed my head, there was no need for apologies, I had been forgiven the moment the door slammed behind me. I was in the same position she had been many years ago; only many times more complicated.

If I would be able to have children of my own I wished for the same bond I shared with my own mother, we disagreed and argued like every normal family but we were strong, nothing would crush the bond we had. On cue, Dad appeared next to me and kissed my head as he placed an arm around my shoulder. "There are a number of punishments I could place on you for what took place earlier but I won't, and I will not deal with you on my own once things settle down. I am just glad you came home and did not go through with the idea of just leaving with Derek." I went still for a moment as I cast a side glance at Mom whose face was still, no emotion. My idea of leaving was new to her, I had hoped Dad would have left that part just between us. I softly bit my lip as I prepared for another fight but I was relieved to only receive another squeeze from her.

Leaving home was a last resort if I felt my life would not be my own, I would never dream of practically abandoning my family for the one I loved. Even my parents had never thought of running away when they found their world crashing down, they faced their problems head on; and I now saw that I needed to do the same. If we had simply left without a word, the pack would find us and kill. The treaty would be broken along with Jacob's heart which would cause a backlash no one could ever foresee. We still had no idea what the pack would do once Jacob was told and it scared us to death, if Derek did decide to join our world, it would have to wait until we left Forks and after the wedding.

The wedding had been set a week after Jacob returned, I had broken the silence rule when I revealed the groom switch to a few of my close friends. Most were pleased that I had 'broken it off' with Jacob since to them, he was too old and too overprotective for their liking. None had met Derek and sadly would only meet him once he was my husband.

It was not long before Dad bid us goodnight and disappeared into the backyard once again, the family had decided that with Jacob's return imminent; they needed to hunt in order to keep up their strength. Mom and I agreed to hunt later on once we had some peaceful mother-daughter time, once the news was broken; precious time as this would be non-existent. I looked to Mom would remained stone faced still dealing with the news of me planning to leave with Derek, to start our own lives.

"Mom... I was angry. I thought the life I had always dreamed of was coming to an end. I panicked and thought of the one way I could be able to do what I wanted, without really thinking. I would never ever leave you, please know that I mean it with all my heart." Her eyes still remained focused a speck of fabric on the carpet. How I wished Dad would have stayed just a little longer, he would have the perfect thing to say to break her from this spell. Something clicked as I wished for my father, I always relied on him or Mom to save me from my troubles; this was my time to learn how to fend for myself. I had always jumped to them when something troubled me and they would solve my problem while I stood on the sidelines. They would not be there when I broke it off with Jacob, unable to protect me if he snapped.

I would have to grow up at some point; I had been blessed with the gift of aging faster then most but I still held onto the childlike mind of always allowing my parents to save me. The time was now to break the pattern and prove I could be independent and learn to run my life the way I chose; I had an eternity to learn but only minutes to attain. I slid out of her arm and turned to face her, placing a hand on her knee and slowly she came out of her spell to face me. Her eyes had turned to a solid amber, the fear of losing her daughter strong and real; I offered a gentle smile. "My life has always been complicated. I was never given the chance to truly grow up and become a strong, independent woman like you. So much has been forced on me in such a short time and forced to act grown up when I am still a child at heart. Now I see it is time for me to step up and learn to fight for myself. I will always turn to you in times of trouble but I have to learn to stand on my own two feet."

Her eyes softened and she smiled as her hand gently rubbed my own and for a moment she stared down at them. There was no denying the fact that I came from her, I had inherited so many of her traits that it scared us how alike we truly were. I had shown her that I was ready to finally take a stand on my own two feet and follow my heart. I was ready to truly embrace the adult mind I had hidden away for so long, deep down it scared me how ready I was but I knew it was my time. My entire existence had primarily been focused on ensuring that everyone but myself was happy, I had embraced the imprint to love Jacob because it made him happy, remained in Forks so I would be close to my family so they would be happy. It was time that I made decisions that would focus that first and foremost made me happy.

"I never saw you as a child Renesmee, and neither should you. We both were dealt a life we never thought could ever exist but that is how we grow and become stronger. I am proud that you are willing to step up and take your life into your own hands; you are truly stronger than I had ever expected you to be. I will always be there for you no matter what comes, it still scares me how alike we are. I still believe you are more of your father than you are of me." Mom smiled as I rested my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes briefly to revel in the peace that formed around us.

My eyes shot open what felt like minutes later and I was stunned to find myself curled in my bed; I slowly swung myself onto the edge of my bed and shook away the cobwebs. As I blinked away the sleep from my eyes and jumped when Mom was standing just inside my door. A smile spread wide across her face as I groggily smiled in return, still confused as to how I ended up in my own bed. "Good afternoon sleepy head, I thought you would end up sleeping through the whole day." All I could was giggle as I stood up and moved to her side for a much needed hug. I could now vaguely remember feeling of Dad lifting me from the couch where I had passed out around four in the morning, after the long discussion Mom and I had once I returned from our argument.

Mom soon left after saying that my lunch was ready and I jumped to my computer to send my daily e-mail to Derek. My heart sank as I read his latest message, saying he had been spending most of his time with Amy; taking her to the park or on little road trips. It seemed he had easily re-entered the human life and was loving every minute. It worried me how easy he found life could be and I wonder if he would decide to remain there. I brushed off any fears and punched out a quick message, avoiding the parts of the fight so not to worry him. Signing off reminding him just how much I loved him and could not wait to once again be in his arms.

Once I entered the kitchen I was met by many hugs from the members I had not seen since I raced from the house. Esme was softly whimpering as she embraced me, begging that I never attempt to run away from home again. I smiled and softly laughed as I agreed, I could never leave this family ever again, no matter what Derek chose. They were the glue that held me together, yes Derek was my everything but these people were the ones I could never live without. They had sacrificed so much in order for my upbringing to be as normal as possible, this family nearly gave their lives so I could live. I held Esme tighter as I glanced over her shoulder towards where Dad stood with an arm around Mom's waist. The smile I received from him was heart warming. It was his way of showing how proud I had made him at showing how strong I could be on my own. I smiled back as I released my hold on Esme and stood proudly with my parents.

"This will probably be one of the last times we stand together in this kitchen. I am sorry for my actions last night, that will be the last you ever see of that side of me. I am so thankful to having such a loving family, I know this week will be yet another challenge we will face as a family. Once Jacob is finally removed from my life, I hope we can return to living our lives peacefully." They nodded but the tension and worry could still be felt throughout the room. We could sense the feeling of loss as we acknowledge that this would be one of the last times we stood in this home, calling it our own. Once Jacob returned, this place would forever be a distant memory, along with the town of Forks. We were preparing for a goodbye none of us wanted to make, this was our home but that time was coming to an end.


	29. The Longest Night

**** So this is the biggest chapter of the whole story! Again, it is not the original version but I remembered most of what I had put in the first copy. I'm still a little iffy on how I plan to end the story, spending a lot of time chatting with my other Twilight buddies to see what they think. It may take a while before I finish; do not want to disappoint you guys in the end. But.. without any further ado, here is the biggest chapter. The moment you all... just kidding HAHA, Enjoy :) ****

**Chapter 29 – The Longest Night**

Twenty minutes ago my phone had rung displaying the name I had been dreading for three weeks; Jacob was home. Naturally he had called two times before, once to say he was catching the plane, the next to say he had landed in Seattle. The nerves had started with the first call but I had still hoped I could have more time to prepare. I began to hope that for once time would be on my side; I began hoping the flight would delayed or even canceled. These hopes were dashed the moment that third phone call came, it was easy to guess that while we talked, Jacob was racing through his house unpacking so he could jump back onto the road to reunite. I had managed to convince him to take some time to decompress and rest. I knew he would be jet lagged and hungry, I used those factors to my advantage as I stared out towards the water from the cliff where I had been parked for the last hour. This moment had been planned down to the second, I was a mere ten minute drive from his house, while my parents anxiously waited in the Volvo at the treaty line. Dad refused to be any farther then that; he had stated he would rather break the treaty himself racing to protect me over hearing the sounds of my possible death once I broke the news.

The family had been divided between the woods and the house; Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie were dispersed through the woods while Carlisle and Esme remained at home with Derek. I still had not seen him since that day he and Mom made the deal for him to spend the remaining days with his family and friends. The day before Jacob was due to return, I had been sent to Grandpa's while Derek returned to the house. I had protested, believing I should be granted the chance to see him before our lives changed forever; another fight I lost quickly. In the end I simply gave up because I knew our time apart would soon be over. My eyes once glanced at the glove box where my engagement ring from Derek still sat, how I wished it could be on my finger. Only a little longer and it would be, forever.

Five minutes ago I had stepped inside the Black household for the last time and I was seated on the couch facing my soon-to-be ex fiancé. He searched my face for any sign of a clue as to why I appeared to be so upset. I inhaled and for a moment my lungs faltered as the overbearing smell of wet dog filled my nose; I had almost forgotten how horrible the smell truly was but, when you were in 'love' nothing seemed wrong. I hid the look of disgust on my face as I slowly spun the ring on my finger and finally decided I was strong enough. "Jacob... I'm sorry but I cannot marry you. This time apart gave me time to think and I realized this is just something I want to do. I'm sorry." There I had finally said one half of the statement I had been dreading. Part of my ordeal was over but the rest was yet to begin; I never could picture how Jacob would respond, that was something I knew I had to wait for.

His face blanked and suddenly he was on his feet staring down on me, his body shook fiercely and I slightly curled into the couch almost ready to leap for the door. Jacob's mouth opened and shut several times as he tried to find the words to say. His eyes went from my face to the ring and back, which I slowly slid off my finger and laid on the cushion where he had once sat. "Edward finally got to you didn't he? I knew the moment I left he would be on you about the wedding. That blood sucker is keen on me suffering for the rest of my life and I will not let him! I imprinted for a reason, you are the one I have been waiting for. He can never take that from me!" His shaking increased and as so I curled deeper into the couch wishing this moment was over; all I wanted was to be safe in the arms of Derek. I could easily guess that near the border, a silver Volvo's engine was revving violently while Mom while panicked attempted to calm the enraged father of mine. I was grateful to know the sacrifice my parents and family were ready to make, to ensure I was happy. My mind was brought back to the current scenario by the feeling of Jacob grab my arm. His eyes burned as he stared down with anger and pain, his world was crumbling once again, losing yet another woman he had given everything to and yet still did not know the full reason. My eyes shot up as a part of me that I banished away the moment I accepted to love Jacob as my future husband roared to life once again.

"Remove that filthy paw from my arm. I am sorry you are hurting but it happened and I cannot change that. I fell in love with someone else, it is true love, not some freaky magical crap you pulled. I refuse to allow myself to be told who to love and how to live my life. I am a grown woman and will choose my own destiny, you will not be apart of it." My eyes narrowed as the words sunk into his mind, his hand dropped and I quickly backed away, using the couch as a barrier between myself and the now very angered werewolf. I felt changed, my heart pounded with excitement; I had done it. He finally knew I was no longer in love with him and had found my true love, I had embraced parts of me I had hidden away and I finally felt alive. I fought to hide the smile screaming to be displayed proudly across my face. My eyes shut for a moment to calm my excitement and once they opened, I soon regretted celebrating so soon.

I found myself pressed against a wall with Jacob's face inches from mine, his eyes burning with pain and anger. He continued to shake and I knew it would not be much longer before I switched forms. My eyes could not break from his as I attempted to plan how to escape. Far away I knew my family was ready, the treaty line was close to being breaches as my parents slowly lost their battle to keep their distance. "You filthy semi-bloodsucker. It makes me sick how you and your family pride themselves on claiming to be different; your choice in food allowing you to form bonds of 'true love'. Like you even know what that means, who is he? Some stunning vampire Daddy brought home? Should have figured, and little Renesmee eager to please Daddy, fell in love. Soon you will see how wrong your decision has been." The icy words flowed from his mouth as his threat rang clear in my ears; I would not be intimidated. Fear would not flow through my veins, I was strong, proud and determined. This creature would no longer torture my soul, I was free.

His reaction was of shock as I giggled, his threat meant nothing to me. Once I crossed the now void treaty line, my family, Derek and I would disappear; never to be heard by the pack again. We would never be found by these dogs again, once Derek's newborn year was complete, we would leave Alaska and start our own life. My fit of giggles continued as Jacob backed away with the look of confusion, as he tried to understand the woman in front of him. No longer the innocent Renesmee he once knew, she was strong, brave and free. Able to think and speak on her own without being discouraged; a new woman had been born this night and would forever remain. "You no longer scare me Jacob Black. I refuse to have you choose my destiny for me. It was going to happen whether you were here or not; I am marrying the man of dreams in a week and we will leave your life forever. I want to thank you, you truly opened my eyes to a life I could never dream of. Thank you and goodbye."

He stood there dejected as I slipped out the door and into my car which roared to life and sped through La Push. The echo of a pained howl rang through my ears as I sped towards the treaty where my father paced nervously back and forth in front of the car. I halted just inches past the line and into his arms; I broke into tears as his arms enclosed around me and Mom rushed to my side. "You did it darling, I am so proud of you." Her words swelled my heart as I slowly settled and allowed my head to remain rested on my father's shoulder. I could still feel the tension in his grasp as his chin rested on the top of my head as he looked towards my mother. I could not see her face but I knew it was still strained, the fight was not over. We still had many challenges left to face; the wedding and Derek's still possible transformation.

"Things will not instantly return to normal, the pack may still attack now that the treaty will forever be void. We have much to do before we leave Forks for good, Derek has yet to finalize his decision and that will determine many parts of our future." I slowly nodded against his shoulder and sighed, I truly hoped he decided to join us in immortality but I knew, he had more to say goodbye then I did. His had a stronger bond with his human world than my mother ever did; he could simply not just say goodbye without a care. Yes they both held close relationships with their family but with Mom, she always knew they would survive without her as a constant part of their lives. She only contacted her own mother through e-mails and phone calls, the chances of seeing her in person faded years ago. To her, I was only a young child enjoying the innocence of childhood. For Grandpa things were much different, I had grown quickly before his eyes as he had a slight knowledge of our unique abilities, just enough to allow him to still be apart of our lives.

I slowly slid out of my father's hold and leaned against the rear of his car as I took in the scenery, I would truly miss this place. My only home was soon to be a distant memory whether Derek became a vampire or not. I shuddered as the sounds of the pack filled our ears; by now I could easily guess they had met somewhere within their woods where Jacob was breaking down what had just occurred and the angered pack unveiled their knowledge of the man who stole me away. Mom softly rubbed my arms and looked nervously towards Dad, we were not safe even across the treaty line. The pack would declare war soon enough and it scared me to death, I had caused this but I knew it was for the best. I could no longer fake through my life, I had woken up and never intended to be returned to my nightmare.

Dad's phone buzzed and he quickly was in mid conversation with Alice who asked us to return to the house, even though she was unable to see the wolves plans, it was smart for us to come home; where we would be safe. I softly giggled at Alice's parting words of how impatient Derek was becoming waiting for me to return, they had headed home the moment I reached the treaty line and were all waiting for my parents and I to follow, so we could finalize our plans. We all nodded in agreement and before long were quickly driving through the town towards our home. While I drove, I took the time to finally place the two carat oval cut diamond ring onto my finger, I smiled as the platinum band gleamed against my skin. Another sign that my life was heading in the right direction, the Volvo's headlights flashed once in my rear view mirror, a signal from Dad to remain focused on the tasks at hand.

"Soon Derek, we will be free from this and we can begin our lives. I love you." The words caused my heart to skip a beat, it would be true this time. Only a week left before we would become husband and wife, I did not care whether he would be human or vampire, that would come with time. I just wanted him to be mine forever, whether that forever was as immortals or a normal human life for him; all I cared about was knowing I loved a man with my heart. My smiled widen as the house came into view and my Guardian echoed my excitement as I pressed my foot down against the floor, we had been separated for too long. I swore I saw both my parents burst out in laughter as I raced ahead and slid into the garage before running up the porch and into the house.

Past Rose, Emmett and Jasper I flew into the arms of Derek and smothered him with kisses as he swung me around the room, his muffled words of endearment caused laughter among the family. He finally placed my feet back onto the floor as his face finally turned serious. It was easy to guess what had been on his mind minus finally be with his love again, I nervously bit my lower lip as he guided me to the couch where I was flanked by my parents. Derek took center stage in the living room as the family circled the couch. His face was unreadable as he folded his hands in front and kept his eyes straight on me, something troubled me, I could see no signs of happiness in his eyes and I gripped my parents' hands.

"I have made my decision."


	30. Tomorrow

***Well people... this is the final chapter. I have had a blast working on this and hope you guys love the ending. It did take me a while to get this chapter finished since I was sooo lost for ideas. I decided to write it this way since I figured it would be the perfect ending. It took forever to plan some of the details in the chapter, hopefully it works out well. I already have another story in the works, not Twilight related, I'm lost for ideas for anything Twilight for now. Its going to be Sailor Moon cause I started re-reading some old stories and fell in love with it all over again. Not sure when the first chapter will be up but hopefully soon :) Enjoy everyone and thanks for the reviews!***

**Chapter 30 – Tomorrow**

_Five years later_

The alarm blared loudly in my ear and I groaned to myself as I slowly raised my arm over my head to slam it quiet. Derek sighed next to me as I felt his warm lips press against my cheek; his arm slid slowly away from my waist as he rose to begin another day. I rolled onto my back as I heard the shower turn on; it took me several minutes to climb out of bed myself but as my feet touched the cool hardwood floor, I could hear shuffling of tiny feet from the room just down the hall. I smiled as the door to our bedroom was swung open by our four year old son, Jeffery. His bright green eyes flashed with excitement as he ran towards where I was standing and attempted to wrap his arms around my swollen stomach. He rested his head against my stomach with a sleepy grin and I ran my fingers through his ruffled black hair. I took his hand and we headed down towards the kitchen so I could begin my normal routine. Derek appeared in the kitchen a while later while Jeffery was enjoying his breakfast, again he softly kissed my cheek and gently rubbed my stomach with a smile.

"We still going to the zoo today Daddy?" He turned and chuckled under his breath as he took a seat next to our anxious little boy. With the birth of our daughter quickly approaching, we had warned him that any planned trips may have to be canceled until after she arrived. Derek nodded with a smile as I received a nudge from Hailie, promising that today was not her day to come into the world. A couple hours later, the boys left for their zoo trip, and I began my daily routine of cleaning the house and preparing for the arrival of Hailie.

Once my tasks were completed, I headed out onto the patio to enjoy the crisp autumn weather and reflect on the past fives years. The first few weeks of our marriage had been anything but peaceful; naturally we were constantly on guard for a possible attack from the pack. Even though they had no idea where we had left for, Alice did her best to keep an eye on Forks; using Sue as a link to the pack to see what they could possibly be planning against us. After a month of peace went by, it was clear that they had no means of attacking and we could finally settle. Our honeymoon took place shortly after we were given the all clear, and off Derek and I went to Isle Esme for three weeks of wedded bliss. As our honeymoon came to an end, we decided to not return to Denali and moved into our own home in Vancouver; my parents were not please at our decision to strike out on our own but Mom understood why we wanted to start our own lives.

It still pained me to know that one day I would lose Derek, as on that fateful day; he had chosen to remain human. His time with his family had reminded him that they still needed him; his mother had remarried a few years ago, and Amy was now in her second year of high school but they still needed his constant love and support. I had spent several nights after his decision, crying myself to sleep knowing that I could never spend forever with the love of my life. Several times I found myself wondering if I had made the wrong decision; I could have spent forever with Jacob. I would have had the same forever my parents had been blessed with. Sometimes I hoped that once our lives had settled, Derek would change his mind and allow himself to be changed so I would never have to say goodbye. I hated how selfish I was being; all I had ever wanted was a life just like my parents, to be able to spend my existence with my true love. I knew now that, that would never happen and one day I would have to say goodbye to my husband and children.

Several arguments had taken place over the future of our children, they would be only one-third vampire and for now, they would remain human until they turned eighteen, where we would reveal my family history and give them the decision on their own fate. Derek stood firm that he believed our children should remain human, while I believed it was their own choice, as it was his several years ago. Hailie nudged several times as if she agreed with my side of the battle. The sound of my cell ringing caused me to jump but I smiled once I saw the name on the display.

"Hey Mom, thanks for calling." It was easy to guess that Alice had sensed I was upset and naturally notified Mom. It hurt to know my family was so far away during a time like this; my parents along with Esme and Carlisle had moved to Juneau a couple years ago, where Mom was studying towards her Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Alaska Southwest, where she had planned to go many years ago before my birth; Dad was working with Carlisle at the local hospital. Rosalie and Emmett had settled in London not long after we left for Alaska, while Alice and Jasper had begun backpacking through South America, spending some time with Zafrina and her clan. Even with the stand off with the Volturi years behind us, the family still wished to know more of half vampire creations.

For several minutes I sunk into the chair listening to Mom attempt to ease my pain; it was hard for her to understand since she would never have to say goodbye to her love. For her, it was their first day together, she would never have to close her eyes and wonder if when she woke up, everything would have changed and Dad would no longer be there. "It's not fair Mom. To me now it feels like he does not love me as much as I love him, I gave up so much to be with him and he just decides to remain human. He has the same stand point as Dad did when you wanted to be turned; he thinks Jeffery and Hailie should stay human, and Hailie has not even arrived and he's planning her future." I fought back tears as she tried to calm me. Deep down I could feel the hatred against her form once again, it was her fault he had made this decision. She had made him spend that time in his human world, ending my chance at a forever happiness.

"Before you start accusing me again; remember it was his decision and his alone. He was given the choice and even with my request, it was his choice to remain human. It will be hard knowing that one day you will have to say goodbye but for now, enjoy the time you have together." I rolled my eyes, I had heard that statement so many times it was annoying; I felt that if I would lose my true love, I should be allowed to hold on to a piece of him forever. My hand gripped my swollen stomach as I sighed and rested my head against the chair. "Stay strong sweetie, the family will always be there for you. Which reminds me, your father and I have decided we'll be coming to stay in Vancouver for the next few weeks. So we can be there when Hailie arrives; and give you some help now that you'll have your hands busy. We should be there around dinner time, he has a few things to prepa...finish with here before we catch our flight. See you tomorrow baby, I love you."

The tone in her voice caused me to wonder; why would they come so early. When Jeffery was born, they had stayed away for a couple weeks to allow us the time to adjust to becoming parents. It made me wonder why this time was different; I shrugged it off, figuring she missed out on the birth of her first grandchild, she did not want to miss this one. Still, there was something about how she said Dad had something to prepare for before they headed to up to see us. What would there be to prepare? He had dealt with labour before, except mine would have less blood. I simply shook off the thoughts and disappeared back into the house, stressing over a choice that was never mine and attempting to sort out my parent's plan had tired me out, I curled up on the couch and shut my eyes to rest until my family came home. A few hours later I heard his car pull into the drive way, while Jeffery rambled on about the elephants and lions. I was busy preparing dinner as my boys entered the house, Jeffery carrying a large stuffed lion in his tiny arms while Derek simply smiling as our son raced to my side.

"Mommy, you missed so many animals. I didn't know there could be so many! I wish we didn't eat them.. poor animals." I attempted to hide my smile as Derek and I locked eyes, both wondering his reaction to hearing what Sunday night dinner at Grandma's house was like, would probably give the little guy a heart attack. I rubbed his head and ushered him upstairs to wash for dinner; once I heard water flowing from the bathroom I turned to Derek who had been hovering by the front door. The look on his face almost made my heart stop; he seemed almost scared to take another step into our home. He ran a hand through his hair and guided me to the dining room table, my hands softly shook with worry as he sat across from me.

"Listen Ren, I have been doing a lot of thinking the past couple of weeks, about our future. I guess with Hailie coming it has really opened up my eyes and allowed me to see how much my decision really hurt you. In a way, I was being very selfish, not realizing how remaining human would affect you." His tone was excited yet nervous at the same time; the way he was speaking seemed almost rehearsed, as if he had gone over and over this 'speech' before finding the strength to come to me. I tried to look him straight in the eyes but every attempt was foiled, as he kept his eyes focused on the floor. It began to worry me, what if he had decided to walk away from all we had, allowing me to find someone who was truly capable of giving me the forever I dreamed of.

The only sounds that could be heard was from Jeffery, now introducing his new friend to all the other stuffed animals that littered his room. I began to spin my wedding band, a habit I had picked up to try and ease any nerves I may have. Derek's eyes flew my hands and sighed; it wasn't hard for him to guess where my mind was going. His hand creeped across the table and quickly grasped my hand with a gentle squeeze. My eyes remained on our entwined hands for a while as I continued to process about what I believed was about to happen. "Before you finish I want to say that I accepted your decision; both of us have strong ties to our families and I understand you want to be there for them. I could never ask you to say goodbye to them, it will be hard for me when the time comes but I will enjoy the time we have together, however long that might be."

Derek's head tilted slightly to the side as he stared at me, he seemed somewhat confused over what I had said. I was speaking from the view that our life together was coming to an end, and I was preparing myself for the goodbye. His head started to shake as he softly chuckled, I was now the confused one as I looked up at this glorious man who I had called mine for so long. My other hand stayed firmly against my stomach, wondering how I could care for her along with Jeffery on my own.

"I can guess where your mind is going and it is completely wrong. I am not going anywhere Ren, I will never leave your side. It honestly surprises me that you could not have figured this out, I figured Bella or Alice would have spilled by now." His smile widen as I stared at him with utter confusion, I could not understand why he seemed so excited; and what information could I possibly be missing or that Mom or Alice would be dying to tell me. Sure I was still unsure as to why my parents were coming so early, even when they knew when Hailie was due. The only reason I could figure they wanted to come early was to spend time with us, we only saw them a few times a year since Mom was busy with school and I with a young son and baby on the way.

His grip tightened for a moment as he tried to break my mind free of the thought of our life and marriage coming to an end. The point I seemed to be missing was easy to guess in his view and I was growing tired of him trying to bring it to light. All I wanted was my family to remain together for as long as we possibly could. I would allow Derek to live how he chose, and the same for my children when the time came for them to learn my history. I would love them whether they were changed or not; I finally understood that I could not have everything I wanted, I accepted that one day I would be alone, but the memories would last forever. I rose from the table and wandered into the living room, I just needed to relax and allow myself to truly process how my life would be.

I had not heard Derek follow me into the living room and jumped slightly when he wrapped his arms around me. For a brief moment I was ready to push him away, I wanted to be alone to process; I knew I was not losing him just yet but one day I knew I would be, and possibly my children. He still could not understand the pain I had to deal with every day, even though Derek said he did. His arms stayed firm around me as he softly kissed my neck and cheek; I shut my eyes trying to fight the tears, I lost that battle quickly as a few slid down my face. Derek quickly spun me around to face him and with one hand, brushed away the tears with a smile.

"I hate when you do this, never allowing me to finish but now that I have your undivided attention, I can. I realized that I cannot see you hurt any longer and now I know my family will be able to handle themselves without my constant presence. So... I have been talking with your parents and ... they are not coming early just to spend time with us, the main reason they are is that, well, Edward is going to change me." My mouth dropped as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed every open piece of flesh on his face I could see. Despite my size and weight, Derek picked me up and spun me around as I shrieked with excitement. Tears of joy flowed from my eyes as he placed me back on my feet, our attention was diverted to the stairs as Jeffery stood at the bottom, a look of confusion and worry.

He slowly walked over as Derek picked him up and kissed head, he slowly began to smile as Derek wrapped an arm around me. I gently rubbed Jeffery's stomach as Derek squeezed me tighter against him; anyone looking inside would simply see a family sharing a moment together. In reality we were preparing for a new chapter in our lives. Tomorrow, Derek would begin his journey into the world of vampires, I worried how his transformation would affect Jeffery but I knew my parents would have the event perfectly planned. My heart stopped for a moment as it all sunk in, tomorrow I would be given the best gift anyone could ever give, I was being given the gift of eternal love, and whether our children decided to follow in his footsteps or not. I would have my Derek by my side for the rest of our existence.


End file.
